In a dramatic courtroom reversal, Zacarias Moussaoui said on Thursday he wanted to plead guilty to the most serious conspiracy charges in connection with the Sept. 11 attacks on the US, then suddenly changed his mind an hour later.
Moussaoui, a French citizen of Moroccan descent, began the hearing by telling District Judge Leonie Brinkema he planned to plead guilty to four of the six charges against him -- the four that carry the death penalty.
But about an hour later, after he was pressed to agree to certain details of the charges, Moussaoui changed his mind.
"Because of my obligation to my creator, Allah, and to save and defend my life I withdraw my guilty plea," he told a packed courtroom in the latest stunning change of events.
Just one week ago, Moussaoui shocked the courtroom by saying he wanted to plead guilty to the charges, that he was a member of al-Qaeda and had pledged allegiance to Osama bin Laden. Brinkema refused to accept the plea at the time, instructing Moussaoui to think about it for a week.
Moussaoui is charged with six counts of conspiracy related to the Sept. 11 attacks. The four counts to which he first planned to plead guilty were all conspiracy charges: conspiracy to commit acts of terrorism, to commit aircraft piracy, to destroy aircraft and to use weapons of mass destruction.
He also faces two other charges: conspiracy to murder US employees and conspiracy to destroy property.
Moussaoui said he would admit to being involved in a conspiracy, saying he had provided a guest house and training to al-Qaeda members, but insisted he was not involved in the Sept. 11 attacks.
The US blames bin Laden and al-Qaeda for the hijacked plane attacks that killed 3,000 people. US officials believe Moussaoui, who was detained on immigration charges before Sept. 11, was meant to be the 20th hijacker.
Brinkema and Moussaoui, who often spar in court as the judge tries to ensure that Moussaoui understands the legal implications of his moves, debated how to define a conspiracy before the Frenchman changed his mind.
"Somebody can be in a conspiracy without knowing all the facts of the conspiracy," he said.
"For example, yes, I provided a guest house, but I do not know about Sept. 11. I can plead guilty ... but it still doesn't put me on the plane," he added.
Once Brinkema began posing specific questions, like asking whether he was part of the conspiracy to commit the hijacked plane attacks, Moussaoui balked.
He requested a brief recess and upon his return, Moussaoui said he had not anticipated that Brinkema would require him to agree to certain "essential elements" of the charges.
"I cannot do this," he said. "My whole point is to be able to put forward to the American people [what] is my role [in the conspiracy]. You want to ... link me to certain facts that will ensure my death. I cannot endorse any action that will [lead to] my death," he said.
Brinkema accepted his decision and said the government could not use his earlier plea against him.
"You clearly are not admitting guilt," Brinkema said. "You have a right to go before a jury. ... There has been no guilty plea in this case."
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