Moussaoui can face death penalty

Moussaoui's defence say he is a fantasist who played no part in 9/11
The jury in the US trial of confessed al-Qaeda plotter Zacarias Moussaoui has decided he is eligible to face the death penalty when he is sentenced.
The decision means a second phase of hearings will take place to determine whether he will be executed.

Prosecutors argued Moussaoui should face execution because he lied to keep the 9/11 plot a secret. His defence said he played no part in the attacks.

Moussaoui has pleaded guilty to six counts of conspiracy to attack the US.

In order to deem him eligible for the death penalty, the jurors had to agree that Moussaoui's actions led directly to at least one death on 11 September 2001.

The sentencing trial will now enter a second phase, in which testimony will be heard from relatives of people who died in the terror attacks.

The jury must then retire for a second time to consider whether to impose the death penalty on Moussaoui.

Unanimous verdicts

Court official Edward Adams read out the jurors' verdict outside the Virginia courthouse.

In order to decide that Moussaoui was guilty of "conspiracy to commit acts of terrorism transcending national boundaries", the jury had to find unanimously that the government had established beyond reasonable doubt four facts, he said.

The first two facts were that he was over 18 at the time of the offence and that he had lied to federal agents on 16-17 August 2001, to both of which the jury responded 'yes'.

Mr Adams went on: "Number 3: the defendant participated in the act, contemplating that the life of a person would be taken, or intending that lethal force would be used in connection with a person other than one of the participants in the offence. The jury answered 'yes'.

"Number 4: at least one victim died on September 11, 2001 as a direct result of the defendant's act. The jury answered 'yes'."

The jury also decided that the charges of conspiracy to destroy aircraft and conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction had been proven beyond reasonable doubt, he said.

"By this verdict, the jury has found that death is a possible sentence in this case," Mr Adams concluded.

'Fifth plane'

The nine men and three women began their deliberations late last Wednesday, following closing arguments from both sides.

Prosecutors argued Moussaoui was eligible for the death penalty because by lying about the 9/11 plot to FBI investigators, he contributed to the deaths of nearly 3,000 people.

They cited testimony from Moussaoui during the trial in which he said he was supposed to have flown a fifth plane into the White House on 11 September.

But lead defence lawyer Edward MacMahon said the US government had failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that Mr Moussaoui had been involved in the 9/11 attacks.

He described his client, a Moroccan-born French citizen, as a fantasist and al-Qaeda "hanger-on" who was trying to write himself a role in history.

Moussaoui was arrested on 16 August 2001 on immigration charges after the instructor at the flying school he was attending in Minnesota became suspicious of his behaviour.

He told federal agents he was a tourist who wanted to learn to fly for personal enjoyment.

He is the only person to be charged in connection with the 11 September 2001 attacks on New York and Washington.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4874178.stm

This bothers me, as if he gets executed, he'll beleive that he has still won and that he's heading to Paradise.

Surely it would be better to keep him locked up for the remainder of his days. This way he doesnt get to go to "paradise".

Discuss....

Not if I get to his seven virgins before him ,or was it Virgin he was promised
The American media have him dead already methinks

[carelesschucca]

Has anyone the right to Kill a man???

Interesting point. How about another question: Does anyone forfeit their right to life, for deliberately killing another?


.

I suppose my thoughts are... when is execution ever nessesary?
Execution is carried out for reasons of vengence and/or revenge as far as I can see. It doesnt solve anything, or make anything right, or even better.

It will be interesting though. If the US courts say he is responsible for the crimes of sept 11 WTC attack, but is not getting killed for it, how will they justify ever using the death penalty?
Surely this crime is the worst thing you can do on North American soil.
Presumabley the information that he may contain makes it worth while. Again I think it comes back to the fact that it is not about the "nessesary" punishment, it is about the vengence.

Originally Posted by jonboy

Interesting point. How about another question: Does anyone forfeit their right to life, for deliberately killing another?

What does it acheive though? What is the point of it? The fact that they are fecal matter in human form may be true, but, why kill them, unless you desire revenge.

Whether or not revenge is reasonable is another question. But, lets not get away from the low down nitty gritty of the whole situation.
For me there are two issues:
Humans make mistakes. All humans do. People have been executed for crmes they did not commit. This is true. And, its unnaceptable.

Second: What do you gain and what do you lose? What you gain is quite quantifiable, and finite. What you lose is unquatifiable.

*This will put the cat amongst the pigeons*

Like all of you I digested the information given out by the media in the immediate aftermath of Sept 11. In the passing of time though I have read many expert reports and theories as to what actually happened and who was behind it all.

I cannot be totally sure of course but I have to say that I do strongly believe that the story fed to us by the American/Israeli administrations was to the greater extent fabrication, a smoke screen to cover up a grand illusion to not only protect each other from damaging information coming to the public domain, but to destabilise the Arab world as part of a master plan that removes the possibility of the west ever being held to ransom over that ever more vital and depleting resource...oil.

Maybe before anyone comes back and flames me,you too should carry out your own research on this matter.

Please do not forget that I too am a westerner and from a christian background, but this whole deal makes me feel very uneasy indeed.

I cannot accept that anyone has the right to take another's life under any circumstances (except self-defence) and so no I do not agree that this man should be executed.

I certainly understand the reasons for not taking his life (inc the fact that it will make him yet another matyr).

However, consider this: How much will it cost to keep him alive ? Even in prison he will need to be constantly watched & monitored, and if he was responsible for those lives lost in 9/11, does he deserve to keep his ?

Or, perhaps let him go free so justice will run it's course.....


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Originally Posted by Ed

I cannot accept that anyone has the right to take another's life under any circumstances (except self-defence) and so no I do not agree that this man should be executed.

I doubt those that lost loved ones in the 9/11 tragedy, would be quite so forgiving

but onto Jelsters point, I too believe their is a financial reason for the death penalty, wether it be right or wrong ? I cannot say.

but there has to be a finite line drawn somewhere. as society releases more and more people that re offend (and a lot of them do)? the do gooder state is ensuring it is less safe for law abiding people.

i think it's time that penalties were reviewed (made harsher is my opinion ) there needs to be a deterent for crime.

the way we are heading it will be all out anarchy in 30 or so years time

A bit of the mad max world :P dog eat dog