JURIST - Paper Chase: BREAKING NEWS ~ Moussaoui testifies he was to fly 5th 9/11 plane into White House

[JURIST] AP is reporting that al Qaeda conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui [JURIST news archive] has testified that he and "shoe bomber" Richard Reid [BBC profile] were meant to hijack a fifth airplane and fly it into the White House as part of the Sept. 11 attacks [JURIST news archive]. Moussaoui took the stand [JURIST report] Monday in his sentencing trial [case docket] to determine whether he will face the death penalty in connection with Sept. 11 attacks. Moussaoui pleaded guilty [JURIST report] to six conspiracy charges [indictment] last year. If the jury decides that he caused a single death on September 11, he will be eligible for the death penalty and a second phase of the trial will occur, featuring testimony by families of September 11 victims. This marks the first time Moussaoui has revealed these details and his testimony contradicts earlier statements made to the federal investigators. Moussaoui's comments about a plot with Reid, however, followed testimony that he was not the "20th hijacker" on Sept. 11 [CBS report].

Reid was arrested after attempting to detonate an explosive hidden in his shoe on a flight from Paris to Miami in December 2001, and in 2003 was sentenced to life in prison [CNN report] for attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction against US nationals outside the US and interference with flight crew and attendants by using a dangerous weapon. AP has more.

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