The jury has sided with prosecutors in saying that by lying to investigators on August 16 and 17 of 2001, Zacharias participated in the 9/11 plot, resulting in the deaths of "at least one person" -- and thus he is eligible for the death penalty.
The relevant findings on all of the counts:
The Jury found that Moussaoui
- ...is 18 years of age or older;
- ... intentionally participated in an act defined as lying to federal agents on August 16-17, 2001;
- ... participated in an act contemplating that a life would be taken or that lethal force would be used on a person or persons other than the participants in the plot; and that
- ...at least one person died as a direct result of his act (the lying)
The verdict was unanimous. Moussaoui is now eligible for the death penalty -- to be decided in "phase two" of the trial -- on counts of conspiracy to destroy aircraft, and conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction. (One question left in my mind? Why isn't Khalid Sheikh Mohammed on trial for 9/11, if he is the supposed mastermind of the plot? Just wondering...) Also, watch for the Muslim reaction around the world as the U.S. prepares to execute this man (I think his chances of not being executed are about zero...) More to come... Update from Talkleft:
Kudos to the defense team who did an outstanding job defending an impossibly difficult client in a case in which emotions ran higher than any since the Oklahoma City Bombing trial of Timothy McVeigh and in a jurisdiction in which the community was so highly invested in the the outcome.
Moussaoui did not participate in 9/11, he didn't even know the date it would occur or the intended targets, yet he is likely to be killed. Moussauoui was his own worst enemy. In other words, Moussaoui is the pound of flesh demanded by America for 9/11, despite the fact that even the other plotters say he was not involved. That's a pretty stunning result that essentially amounts to "well we have to put someone to death. He's a good a choice as any..."
Tags: Moussaoui, Terrorism, trial, Al Qaeda, War on Terror, 9-11 |
