Trial of 9/11 suspect resumes in Hamburg
Regional-Morocco, Local, 1/3/2003

The trial of 28 year-old Moroccan suspect Mounir El Motassadeq, linked to 9/11 events, resumed on Thursday in Hamburg after a ten-day suspension.

A group of German attorneys had traveled to the United States last December to hear witnesses linked to the case. But Washington continues to turn down German pleas to hear Ramzi Binalshibh, a presumed member of Hamburg-based Al Qaeda cell, captured in Pakistan.

The testimony of Mzoudi, another Moroccan arrested in Germany is deemed decisive, but his appearance before the court remains unlikely, with investigations being under way.

Defense attorneys said that the Hamburg criminal court is still lacking evident that their client was aware of the 9/11 attacks preparations.

According to them, Motassadeq can't be judged because he simply knew the authors of the Twin Center attacks, much less because he traveled to Afghanistan for training and arms handling.

He is the first Sept. 11 suspect outside the United States to stand trial.

The suspect was arrested in November 2001 and his trial is scheduling no less than 160 witnesses.

El Motassadeq did not deny knowing the 9/11 attacks authors who were, like him, registered in the Hamburg university but says he knew nothing of the anti-American attacks, including the presence of the authors in the United States.

Previous Stories:
  Washington calls on its citizens in the Middle East to be cautious   (11/5/2002)
  Pakistani paper: Bin Laden is dead   (10/26/2002)
  Zenawi does not rule out Bin Laden resorting to Somalia   (11/26/2001)

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