ALEXANDRIA, Va., March 28 (UPI) -- Lawyers for Zacarias Moussaoui read statements to the jury Tuesday from admitted top-level al-Qaida leaders to undercut their client's testimony.
At his Alexandria, Va., trial Moussaiou's defense lawyers were chagrined as the 37-year-old calmly claimed he knew most of the Sept. 11, 2001, hijackers and admitted he lied to investigators about his knowledge of their plot when he was arrested on immigration violations three weeks before the attacks on New York and the Pentagon. His lawyers, supplied evidence that directly contradicts his own words to show that he was lying, the Washington Post reported.
The al-Qaida leaders were interrogated by U.S. agents at a secret detention center. One described Moussaoui as "very troubled and not right in the head," while another said he was not part of the plans for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks but was supposed to take part in a later wave of hijackings.
Last week, prosecutors said Moussaoui deserved the death penalty, as his lies and silence allowed nearly 3,000 people to die.
U.S. District Judge Judge Leonie Brinkema told the jurors they might get to deliberate as early as Wednesday. The jury must first consider whether Moussaoui's actions caused some deaths on Sept. 11. If they decide unanimously that his actions did, they move to another phase to consider whether he will face the death penalty or life in prison.
