News and Document archive source
copyrighted material disclaimer at bottom of page

NewsMine9-11suspects — Viewing Item


German court clears 911 suspect

Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
   http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/europe/02/05/germany.terrortrial/

http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/europe/02/05/germany.terrortrial/

German court clears 9/11 suspect

HAMBURG, Germany (CNN) --A Moroccan man accused of assisting the September 11 hijackers has been cleared by a court in the German city of Hamburg due to a lack of evidence.

Abdel-Ghani Mzoudi was charged with more than 3,000 counts of accessory to murder, based on the death toll in the suicide hijackings in the U.S, and being a member of a terrorist organisation, the Hamburg cell of al Qaeda.

The 31-year-old had faced up to 15 years in jail if convicted by the five-judge panel.

The court declared a verdict Thursday despite a last-minute request by lawyers for victims' families to delay it, citing alleged new evidence linked to the case of accused September 11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui in the United States.

Defense lawyers said Mzoudi had spent time at an al Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan in 2000 and knew Hamburg cell members while they lived in the city, but denied he was involved in the 9/11 plot.

German prosecutors had expected the acquittal because of a lack of evidence but continued to insist the accused was guilty. They could still appeal against the verdict to a higher court.

"For us it is clear Mzoudi is part of the Islamistic scene in Hamburg," Heino Vahldieck, chief of the Hamburg Federal Criminal Office, told CNN. "He has been part of the scene, he is still part of the scene."

Terror experts are worried the case demonstrates the West is ill equipped to defend itself.

"It is a war. In a war situation you need special laws and al Qaeda finds that it can operate wonderfully well in the democratic free society because they can move about freely and the courts cannot convict them," M. J. Gohel of the Asia Pacific Foundation told CNN.

Lawyers for Mzoudi, who wants to return to study electrical engineering in Hamburg, said before the acquittal his problems would remain whether or not he was freed.

They said he was afraid German authorities could deport him to Morocco where U.S. agents could try to snatch him. Mzoudi is also aware, they say, of rumors that al Qaeda might try to liquidate him to ensure he never talks.

In Germany's other 9/11 case, Mzoudi's friend and fellow-Moroccan Mounir el Motassadeq was sentenced to 15 years in jail by the same Hamburg court last February. He is awaiting a ruling on an appeal. (Full story)

Meanwhile, after resisting the idea for months, the White House has granted an extension to U.S. lawmakers investigating the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Sources say the Bush administration had long opposed the move, fearing a negative judgment on the eve of the presidential election. (Full story)

-- CNN Senior International Correspondent Walter Rodgers contributed to this report



atta
binalshibh
flying-skills
hamburg
hijackers-alive
khalid
moussaoui
paper-evidence
15 years 911 conspirator
19 suspects named { September 14 2001 }
911 cases proving difficult in germany { December 13 2004 }
911 hijackers trail left deliberately for fbi
911 widows want able danger investigation opened
Abdelghani Mzoudi [jpg]
Accused terror leader condemns 911 attacks { April 26 2005 }
Aljazeera interviewed
All 911 data leads to fbi dead ends { January 17 2006 }
Bin laden moroccan bodyguard released by pentagon { January 30 2006 }
Case against 911 suspects in spain is weak { April 22 2005 }
Charges against 911 plotter weak { July 18 2004 }
Charges dropped against a 20th hijacker { May 14 2008 }
Chertoff framed 911 on alqaeda { February 15 2005 }
Court releases moroccan 911 suspect { December 11 2003 }
Evidence trail leads to florida { September 13 2001 }
Fbi arabic names { October 23 2001 }
Fbi has new 20th hijacker
Fbi informant Ali Mohamed close to 911 terrorists
Fbi informant helped pentagon hijackers open bank account
Fbi informant was hijackers landlord
Fbi names 19 { September 15 2001 }
Fbi threatened family of 911 suspect { October 25 2007 }
Federal probe finds guards mistreated 911 detainees
Friend of pentagon hijackers released to yemen { August 10 2004 }
German appeals court upheld mzoudi acquittal
German court clears 911 suspect
German court sentences suspect again after lack of evidence
Hijacker father says picture has no resemblance { September 25 2001 }
Hijacker questioned
Hijacker says he is not the hijacker
Hijackers lived with FBI informant
Hijackers of flight77 set off metal detectors
Hijackers rented atlanta plane
Hijackers trained at US military schools { September 16 2001 }
Hijackers visa express program started 3 months before 911 { August 6 2002 }
Interrogation of new 20th hijacker detailed in time magazine { September 11 2001 }
Jarrah story no sense { October 23 2001 }
Jazeera reporter convincted for connection to 911 { September 26 2005 }
Jordianian student acquitted in 911 perjury case { November 17 2006 }
Married to alqaeda
Men sprewed anti american sentiments
Moroccan sentenced in germany denies 911 involvement
Nabil almarabh { September 4 2002 }
No arab suspects have links to 911
Omar saeed 911 mastermind brit intelligence agent { May 27 2008 }
Pentagon forbades officer 911 testifying
Public library computer { September 17 2001 }
Qaddafi says london terrorist safe house { October 25 2001 }
San diego student connection to hijackers case mistrial { May 4 2006 }
Saudi citizens
Senator asks fbi to investigate secret military int unit { August 26 2005 }
Shady evidence implicates codes expert { January 30 2004 }
Spain charges moroccan in connection with 911 { September 11 2001 }
Spain suspect denies knowledge of terror cell { April 25 2005 }
Spain trial of 24 muslims with 911 links
Spanish court throws out 911 conviction { June 1 2006 }
Spanish prosecutors seek 222k yrs for qaeda suspects { February 14 2005 }
Subject flees
Supreme court rejects appeal over secret 911 detentions { September 11 2001 }
Suspect freed from lack of evidence now jailed again { November 17 2006 }
Suspect in germany denied knowing anything 911 { January 9 2007 }
Suspects in daytona beach strip club night before
Syrian convincted in 911 attacks with weak evidence { September 26 2005 }
Terror suspect admits he met binladen { April 9 2003 }
Top 911 suspect was granted visa { January 27 2004 }
Top alqaeda member captured { May 1 2003 }
Tracing trail of hijackers [pdf]
Two suspects rented from anthrax victim { October 15 2001 }
Uk pliot wrongly accused sues fbi { September 16 2003 }
Worlds only 911 convinct wins retrial { March 4 2004 }
Yemeni fugative 911 { July 14 2002 }

Files Listed: 72



Correction/submissions

CIA FOIA Archive

National Security
Archives
Support one-state solution for Israel and Palestine Tea Party bumper stickers JFK for Dummies, The Assassination made simple