Mr Zacarias Moussaoui, the first person indicted in the September 11th attacks on America has appeared in a US court on charges of conspiring with Osama bin Laden and others to murder thousands of people.
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Zacarias Moussaoui
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Mr Moussaoui, a 33-year-old French citizen of Moroccan descent, was arraigned in a federal court in Alexandria, Virginia. He is charged with six counts of conspiracy, four of which carry a possible death penalty.
"In the name of Allah, I do not have anything to plead," Mr Moussaoui said. "I enter no plea."
Judge Leonie Brinkema said she took that to mean he was pleading innocent. He stood silent and the plea was entered into the record. His lawyers had said in advance that he would plead innocent.
Judge Brinkema set a trial date of October 14th. She rejected defence arguments that the date was too close to the September 11th anniversary and the vast amount of publicity that could be expected at that time.
AP/