United States vs Zacarias Moussaoui Second Oral Argument

The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, heard oral argument in U.S. v. Moussaoui. The Court would decide if Zacarias Moussaoui should have his conviction overturned. Zacarias Moussaoui pleaded guilty in 2005 to six terrorism conspiracy counts. He admitted that he plotted with al-Qaeda terrorists to fly airplanes into U.S. buildings that led to the September 11, 2001, attacks. His attorneys are arguing that court-imposed secrecy undermined Mr. Moussaoui’s ability to present an adequate defense and that his guilty plea was invalid because he was denied evidence potentially helpful to his case and restricted in choosing his own counsel. He was deprived of his constitutional rights because he was confused about the charges and did not know that other al-Qaeda members had given information to interrogators that could have cleared him. If the conviction is overturned, Mr. Moussaoui’s attorneys would seek to win a new trial. (9-25-2009)