Moussaoui is eligible for death

Sir Tokyo Sexwale · April 5, 2006

well, there's a surprise - cnn

that's it, make him a martyr. That'll discourage them

Al Qaeda conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui is eligible for the death penalty, a federal jury decided Monday in the first U.S. trial about the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Jurors agreed with federal prosecutors that Moussaoui's lies to FBI agents resulted in 9/11 deaths.

The nine men and three women reached their verdict on the fourth day of deliberations.

Surrounded by U.S. Marshals, Moussaoui refused to stand and showed no reaction as the verdict was read. After jurors left the courtroom he shouted, "You'll never get my blood. God curse you all."

Six 9/11 family members were in court for the verdict. Lisa Dolan pumped her fist slightly as it was announced.

Her husband, Bob, a U.S. Navy captain, was killed at the Pentagon. "It was important to all the family members that it go onto the next phase so the impact statements are heard," she said.

Carie Lemack, whose mother, Judy Larocque, was aboard the first plane that crashed into the trade center, watched the verdict on a closed-circuit broadcast to families in Boston, where both trade center flights originated.

"We don't want to make him a martyr," she told CNN. "The last thing that a lot of us want to see happen is to allow him to die with the name martyr by his side."

"We are pleased with the jury's ruling in this important case," said Justice Department spokeswoman Tasia Scolinos. "Our efforts on behalf of the victims of 9/11 will continue as we pursue the next phase of this trial."

The verdict means the trial, held only to determine Moussaoui's punishment, will proceed to a second phase, with additional witnesses and evidence, beginning Thursday.

The jurors now must decide whether Moussaoui will be executed for his role in the 9/11 deaths.

Moussaoui, 37, a Frenchman of Moroccan descent, admitted last year that he conspired with al Qaeda, the terrorist group responsible for September 11, to hijack and crash planes into prominent U.S. buildings.

Until he testified at the trial, Moussaoui insisted he had no advance knowledge of or role in the plot. But on the witness stand, Moussaoui claimed he knew the World Trade Center was a target and that he would have piloted a fifth jetliner into the White House. (Full story)

In the second phase of the sentencing trial, prosecutors plan to tell the jury stories of dozens of September 11 victims. About 40 relatives will describe the impact of their losses.

Defense witnesses are expected to describe Moussaoui's troubled family history, his struggles with racism and relocation in France and his vulnerability to radical fundamentalist Islamic recruiters. His mother may return from France to testify. Mental health experts are expected to say Moussaoui is schizophrenic

fyds · April 5, 2006

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