Moussaoui: I was to hijack fifth plane, hit White House

[kpete]

Moussaoui Says He Was to Hijack 5th Plane By MATTHEW BARAKAT, Associated Press Writer


ALEXANDRIA, Va. - Al-Qaida conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui testified Monday that he and would-be shoe bomber Richard Reid were supposed to hijack a fifth airplane on Sept. 11, 2001, and fly it into the White House.

Moussaoui's testimony on his own behalf stunned the courtroom. His account was in stark contrast to his previous statements in which he said the White House attack was to come later if the United States refused to release a radical Egyptian sheik imprisoned on earlier terrorist convictions.

On Dec. 22, 2001, Reid was subdued by passengers when he attempted to detonate a bomb in his shoe aboard American Airlines Flight 63 from Paris to Miami. There were 197 people on board. The plane was diverted to Boston, where it landed safely.

Moussaoui told the court he knew the World Trade Center attack was coming and that he lied to investigators when arrested in August 2001 because he wanted it to happen.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060327/ap_on_re_us/moussaoui
via: Raw Story

[babylonsister]

1. I think the guy just wants to get it over with. What are his

options? Life in prison vs. death penalty. Either that, or he's a nut job.

[Gabi Hayes]

2. and the FBI did exactly what after they had him in CUSTODY?

Denial of Moussaoui FISA Warrant: The Smoking Gun?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=1429777&mesg_id=1429777&listing_type=

[CJCRANE]

12. Is it true that *SEVENTY*

requests were made to FBI in Washington from a field officer asking to seek permission to look into Moussaoui's laptop (but were denied)?

(I think I read that from a link on DU recently).

[Gabi Hayes]

20. from Maureen Dowd, and an entire thread on this

''Of all the through-the-looking-glass moments in the last few days, the strangest is this: The F.B.I officer who arrested and questioned Zacarias Moussaoui told a jury that he had alerted his superiors about 70 times that Mr. Moussaoui was a radical Islamic fundamentalist who hated America and might be plotting to hijack an airplane.... He named two of the officials who did not want to endanger their careers with any excess aggression toward radical fundamentalists: David Frasca and Michael Maltbie, then working on the Radical Fundamentalist Unit. Even though Condi Rice told the 9/11 commission that "no one could have imagined" terrorists' slamming a plane into the World Trade Center, an F.B.I. officer did. Officer Samit testified that a colleague, Greg Jones, tried to light a fire under Mr. Maltbie by urging him to "prevent Zacarias Moussaoui from flying a plane into the World Trade Center''


much much more here...found it googling for the above

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x710549

[CJCRANE]

21. "The Radical Fundamentalist Unit"

is kind of a scary name...makes you wonder whether they're trying to stop it...or promote it.

[Gabi Hayes]

22. they CERTAINLY did nothing to encourage the idea that they had

clue ONE about the job the name of their group describes

I'm so fffffing pissed about this....knew about it for a long time, but it's finally sinking in

[warrens]

3. what a macaroon

I guess even terrorists need some humor relief. I don't think the average suicide bomber is exactly depriving the world of the second coming of Einstein, but seriously, if you were Al Qaeda, would you let this goofball run around with your home phone number?

[napi21]

4. So, how was Reid to help him in Sept. if he only flew to the US

in December?

I find this revalation by Moussaoui a bit odd. Why has he argued all this time that he wasn't, and then suddenly, at the last minute he decides to change his story? Hmmm....

[MADem]

5. Sound the terra klaxon!!!

Everyone, be very afraid!!! Repeat after me--911,911!!!! Terra! Terra! Eye-Rack, Sad-DAMN!

I'm so cynical at this point in time, I have to wonder if the bastard is reading from a script.

[dogday]

6. WTF? Why now? Why say this?

after all the shit he has been through... It does not make sense to me.....

[Taxloss]

7. So where was the fourth plane, flight 93, meant to go?

That's my question. I thought it was destined for the White House.

[CJCRANE]

9. The US Capitol Building...?

Take out the Legislature and bingo, you've got a de facto dicatorship.

[Taxloss]

14. Who knows?

But that time in the morning would not guarantee a packed capitol building.

FBI building? That would fuck up any investigation. Or one of the Washington landmarks - the Lincoln Memorial, or the Washington Monument. Something symbolic.

[newspeak]

16. well, that was my thought

Congress was in session-take out the Congress--BINGO-dictatorship. And, who was in Congress that day? Where is the roll call for that day?

[CJCRANE]

17. Flight 93 was 41 minutes late...

if it wasn't for that delay it's very likely it would have hit its target.

Evacuation of the Capitol Building didn't start until 9:48 (which was obviously after both towers and Pentagon had been hit).

Also note that Cheney and Rice were evacuated to the WH bunker at 9:03 but a general evacuation of the WH only took place at 9:45.

[Rocknrule]

23. If that's the case, the people on that plane

really were defenders of freedom

[Inland]

8. Too bad he's nuts, or Bush would have captured ONE terrorist.

Really, can anyone verify this? Seems to me he wants to die and is just repeating what the prosecution argured to make it happen. Looks like suicide by court.

[Name removed]

10. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Inland]

11. Don't blame his lawyers.

They advised him not to take the stand. And it seems clear to me that he was repeating precisely what would get him killed. That's his choice.

[maveric]

13. They cut him a deal. "You say what we want you to say and we'll shave...

a little time off your sentence/no death penalty...".
I betcha thats what is going down.

[Texaroo]

15. Nucking Futs.

If I was on the jury, I might just question his credibility.... I bet the prosecution is wetting themselves with delight, after the case they presented. They coulda just rested and let Moose speak in his own defense.

[Kailassa]

18. Silly guy, doesn't he realize they'll bump him off, not pay him?

He'll be thinking he's earned whatever he wants, and some set-up nutter will be found to have shot him for being a terrorist.

[WinkyDink]

19. i don't believe this for one second. Or less.

[Avalux]

24. He wants to be a martyr, I think.

Say whatever to give him the most notoreity; give him the death penalty. He'll be put to death for being a big, bad would-be 9/11 hijacker. He'll be revered by terrorists everywhere and put into history books. He'll have succeeded far more than he ever would have by staying alive.