In court records, Moussaoui says he was preparing for post-Sept. 11 mission
Zacarias Moussaoui, the only defendant U.S. prosecutors have charged with complicity in the Sept. 11 attacks, contends he was not part of that day’s hijackings but was preparing for a later operation outside the United States, court papers revealed Tuesday. In a separate development in the case, a federal appeals court in Richmond, Va., ordered that the public and news media be admitted to portions of a June 3 court session to consider whether Moussaoui can interview an al-Qaida member also held as a prisoner. The government had argued the hearing should be closed because classified information would be discussed. A 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel said only the parts of the argument that dealt with such information would be closed. The unanimous decision by the three-judge panel essentially agreed with 11 news organizations that had sought greater openness. Full Story