Appeals Court Refuses to Rehear Moussaoui Case

• Moussaoui is the ONLY person who has been charged in connection with the September 11 terrorist attacks.

A federal appeals court on Wednesday refused to reconsider its ruling that allowed the U.S. government to move forward with its death penalty case against accused Sept. 11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui. In September a three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, ruled that Moussaoui could face the death penalty if convicted on charges of conspiracy in connection with the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The panel also rejected Moussaoui's request to directly question three al Qaeda captives he says might help prove he was not involved in the hijacked airliner attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Moussaoui's lawyers asked the panel and the entire court to rehear the case. In a one-page order the court refused both requests. His lawyers may decide to appeal to the Supreme Court or choose to go ahead with the trial at the district court level. The U.S. government has refused to let Moussaoui -- the only person charged in connection with the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people -- question the al Qaeda captives who are being held and interrogated overseas by the United States. [more ]