NewsMine — 9-11 — suspects — moussaoui — government-case-success-2004-2006 — Viewing Item

Witness coached by prosecution in moussaoui trial { March 13 2006 } Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)    http://news.ft.com/cms/s/bda04402-b2ae-11da-ab3e-0000779e2340.html http://news.ft.com/cms/s/bda04402-b2ae-11da-ab3e-0000779e2340.html Witness coaching disrupts Moussaoui trial By Demetri Sevastopulo in Washington Published: March 13 2006 16:31 | Last updated: March 13 2006 18:39 The sentencing trial of Zacarias Moussaoui, a self-confessed al-Qaeda operative, descended into chaos on Monday after it emerged that a government lawyer had jeopardised the government’s case for the death penalty by coaching witnesses. US district judge Leonie Brinkema adjourned the trial of Mr Moussaoui – the only person who has been criminally charged in the US with involvement in the September 2001 attacks – until Wednesday, while she considers whether to rule out the death penalty. During a special hearing on Tuesday, Judge Brinkema will hear from seven potential witnesses and the attorney who contacted them to help her decide whether to throw out the government’s case. Mr Moussaoui was last year convicted of conspiring with the plotters of the 9/11 attacks. He had previously pleaded guilty to conspiring with al-Qaeda to fly hijacked aircraft into US buildings. Over the weekend, government prosecutors told Judge Brinkema and the defence lawyers that that one of their lawyers from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) had coached four Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) witnesses in advance of their testimony, breaking the rule set by Judge Brinkema that witnesses should not hear trial testimony in advance. “In all the years I’ve been on the bench, I have never seen such an egregious violation of a rule on witnesses,” Judge Brinkema said on Monday, on the fifth day of the sentencing trial. “This is the second significant error by the government affecting the constitutional rights of the defendant and the criminal justice system in this country in the context of a death case,” Judge Brinkema said. After the revelation, Edward MacMahon, a lawyer representing Mr Moussaoui, said the trial would not be fair, and asked for the death penalty to be removed as an option, or that the FAA witnesses be prevented from testifying. David Novak, a government prosecutor, admitted that the TSA lawyer’s actions were “horrendously wrong” but he argued that preventing their testimony would “exclude half the government’s case”. Mr MacMahon said the FAA lawyer had warned the FAA witnesses to be very careful in discussing the previous admission by the Federal Bureau of Investigation that they were aware before the 9/11 attacks that al-Qaeda operatives in the Philippines were planning to fly an aircraft into the CIA headquarters in Virginia. Prosecutors say the US could have foiled the September 2001 attacks if Mr Moussaoui had confessed his intention to fly an aircraft into a US building. Additional reporting by agencies

Airlines coached moussaoui witnesses to remove culpibility Alqaeda figures deny Moussaoui role { June 17 2004 } Angry judge questions death case against moussaoui { March 13 2006 } Bush says moussaoui case over war goes on Court lets moussaoui prosecution go forward { April 23 2004 } Documents cast doubts over moussaoui 911 claim { April 21 2006 } Electronic shocks on Moussaoui back during trial { April 17 2006 } Families subject to horror recordings during Moussaoui trial { April 12 2006 } Fbi agent says superiors ignored moussaoui warnings { March 20 2006 } Fbi says no moussaoui reid evidence Fbi supervisor admits never read moussaoui memo { March 22 2006 } Judge raises possibility of mistrial in moussaoui sentence { March 13 2006 } Lawyer emailed court transcripts to seven witnesses { March 15 2006 } Lone juror jkept moussaoui alive { May 13 2006 } Moussaoui 2005 planning to admit 911 role { April 19 2005 } Moussaoui changes with testimony { March 30 2006 } Moussaoui confession contradicts previous confession Moussaoui disrupts sentencing declaring himself alqaeda Moussaoui link to 911 in doubt Moussaoui loses right to represent himself { November 15 2003 } Moussaoui may get inmate access { September 14 2004 } Moussaoui motions Moussaoui now says binladen gave him approval { March 2005 } Moussaoui roommate warned fbi { March 21 2006 } Moussaoui says 911 confession was complete fabrication { May 8 2006 } Moussaoui wants to recant guilty plea { May 9 2006 } Moussaoui yelled god curse you all to jury { March 30 2006 } Moussaui says rather die than spend life in jail { April 13 2006 } New court blow to moussaoui { November 14 2003 } No evidence of moussaoui reid hijack plot jury told Prosecutor rivets courtroom with 911 transcript { February 2006 } Terror suspects contradict moussaoui confession Too many pretrial motions deemed insulting { November 15 2003 } Trial of moussaoui to focus on 911 foreknowledge { November 14 2005 } Us appeals ban on death penalty moussaoui case { December 3 2003 } Why moussaoui confession doesnt add up { March 28 2006 } Witness coached by prosecution in moussaoui trial { March 13 2006 } Files Listed: 37

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