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Court rules Sept. 11 suspect can't quiz other terror suspects

The US government won a key round in its case against accused Sept. 11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui on Thursday when a court ruled it could bar his lawyers from questioning three top al-Qaeda operatives.

The federal appeals court in Richmond, Virginia, also set aside a district court judge's ruling that had blocked prosecutors from seeking the death penalty or presenting any evidence about the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

District Court Judge Leonie Brinkema in Alexandria, Virginia, had issued that ruling in October after the government refused to let Moussaoui's lawyers question the al-Qaeda captives.

The appeals court on Thursday sent the case back to Brinkema for the drafting of a summary that would take the place of questioning the witnesses.

Moussaoui, 35, a French citizen of Moroccan descent, is the only person charged in the US in connection with the attacks that killed approximately 3,000 people.

US Attorney General John Ashcroft said the appeals court ruling upheld the government's core position.

"The court held that the government can provide Zacarias Moussaoui with a fair trial while still protecting critical national security interests," Ashcroft said in a statement.

"The government will not be required to provide Moussaoui with interactive access to detained terrorists. This ruling also allows us to seek the death penalty, and to present evidence regarding the conspiracy of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks," he said.

Moussaoui had wanted to question Khalid Sheikh Mo-hammed, the accused mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks; Mustafa Ahmed al-Hawsawi, viewed as one of the financiers of the hijackings; and Ramzi bin al-Shaibah, the man suspected of coordinating them.

The three have been captured and are being held and interrogated overseas by the US.

Moussaoui, who denies involvement in the attacks but admits to being a member of al-Qaeda, says the men can prove his innocence.
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