Moussaoui jailed over September 11 attacks
A federal jury in Virginia decided Wednesday to spare the life of Zacarias Moussaoui, the only person charged and convicted in connection with the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.
After deliberating about 40 hours over a nearly two-week period, the jury decided that Moussaoui should not be executed and should instead be sent to prison for life without chance of parole.
A death sentence would have required a unanimous vote by the jury. The jury recommendation is binding on the judge in the case and Moussaoui will be formally sentenced on Thursday.
The verdict was announced by court spokesman Edward Adams outside the federal courthouse in Alexandria, Virginia, near Washington.
"Under the law, the jurors may also write in mitigating factors they believe have been proven by the evidence but were not suggested to them by defense counsel," said Edward Adams. "On count one, the jurors wrote in one such factor. They wrote that the defendant had limited knowledge of the 9/11 attack plans. Three jurors found that mitigating factor to have been proven."
As Moussaoui was led out of the courtroom after the verdict on Wednesday, he shouted, "America, you lost. I won."
After deliberating about 40 hours over a nearly two-week period, the jury decided that Moussaoui should not be executed and should instead be sent to prison for life without chance of parole.
A death sentence would have required a unanimous vote by the jury. The jury recommendation is binding on the judge in the case and Moussaoui will be formally sentenced on Thursday.
The verdict was announced by court spokesman Edward Adams outside the federal courthouse in Alexandria, Virginia, near Washington.
"Under the law, the jurors may also write in mitigating factors they believe have been proven by the evidence but were not suggested to them by defense counsel," said Edward Adams. "On count one, the jurors wrote in one such factor. They wrote that the defendant had limited knowledge of the 9/11 attack plans. Three jurors found that mitigating factor to have been proven."
As Moussaoui was led out of the courtroom after the verdict on Wednesday, he shouted, "America, you lost. I won."
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