Moussaoui, Shoe Bomber Link Called 'Highly Unlikely' by FBI

The FBI has no evidence to support Zacarias Moussaoui's testimonythat "shoe bomber" Richard Reid was to be part of his mission to flya hijacked airplane into the White House on Sept. 11, 2001, accordingto a document made public yesterday at Moussaoui's death penaltytrial.

When he took the witness stand, Moussaoui told jurors that top al-Qaeda officials had instructed him to attack the White House and saidReid was to be part of his crew. Moussaoui's lawyers have told thejury that he was exaggerating his role, whereas prosecutors have saidhe was telling the truth.

But two analysts for the FBI, which is the prosecution'sinvestigative arm, believe it is "highly unlikely" that Reid wasslated to be involved in the Sept. 11 attacks, which destroyed theWorld Trade Center and damaged the Pentagon. Their opinion was in astipulation, agreed upon by the defense and prosecution, that wasread into the court record yesterday by Moussaoui's lawyers. It waspresented to the jury as fact and was intended to tell jurors whatReid would have said had he testified.

"To date, there is no information available to indicate thatRichard Reid had advance knowledge of the 9/11 attacks or wasinstructed by al-Qaeda leadership to conduct an operation incoordination with Moussaoui," the document said. It noted that Reidwas traveling from Israel to Amsterdam between May and September2001, a time when Moussaoui was in the United States taking flyinglessons. Reid's own attack, in which he tried to blow up a jetlinerwith a bomb hidden in his shoe, did not take place until December2001.

It was unclear how the FBI's analysis would resonate with jurorsand whether it would raise questions about the truthfulness ofMoussaoui's testimony. Jurors will start deliberating Monday whetherMoussaoui should be executed or sentenced to life in prison.Testimony in the seven-week trial ended late yesterday, and closingarguments are scheduled for Monday morning in U.S. District Court inAlexandria. Moussaoui, 37, pleaded guilty last year to conspiringwith al-Qaeda in the Sept. 11 attacks.

When Moussaoui testified for the second time last week,prosecutors appeared to be trying to blunt the impact of Reid'spossible testimony. After Moussaoui said he and Reid were goodfriends, prosecutors asked him whether they ever discussed the Sept.11 attacks. "Never," Moussaoui said, adding that a senior al-Qaedaofficial had told him: "Reid was part of the team. I was in charge;he was my second. He did not have a single clue about the operation.. . . They told me not to say anything to him."

In a trial filled with role reversals, Moussaoui's lawyers are inthe odd position of trying to discredit their client, who doesn'tspeak to them and who, according to some legal experts, may want todie to become a martyr. A key part of their argument has been thatMoussaoui is mentally ill and prone to delusions that aggrandized hisrole in the Sept. 11 plot and in Osama bin Laden's organization.

To make that point, they tried to call Reid to the stand, buttheir efforts were rebuffed by the judge. Reid is serving a lifesentence in prison for the attempted shoe bombing.

An FBI spokesman, Richard Kolko, would not comment beyond thestipulation. Prosecutors declined to comment.

The document was made public on a day in which defense lawyersrested their case after again calling to the stand relatives ofpeople killed in the Sept. 11 attacks, who testified for the defensein its efforts to have Moussaoui's life spared. The witnesses, barredfrom speaking for or against execution in court, providedremembrances of their loved ones in what amounted to a series ofmoving memorials about how they lived rather than how they died.

Prosecutors then presented a brief rebuttal case that focused on asubject that has played a central role since Moussaoui was charged inDecember 2001: his mental health. Moussaoui has long been known forhis animated behavior in court, though he has limited his outburstsduring the trial to moments when the judge and jury are gone.Yesterday, he screamed during a morning break: "God curse America!"

A clinical psychologist testified for the defense earlier thisweek that Moussaoui has paranoid schizophrenia and is delusional.Prosecutors yesterday presented their own expert, psychiatristRaymond F. Patterson, who said Moussaoui has a "personality disorder"but "there is no evidence from my perspective that he exhibits anyschizophrenia or mental illness." Unlike the defense expert, whonever spoke with Moussaoui beyond a brief conversation in his cell,Patterson interviewed him once in 2002 and twice in 2005.

Patterson said much of the perception that Moussaoui is mentallyill is based on what are actually cultural differences. For instance,he said that when Moussaoui appears to be mumbling in court, he ispraying, which is common for Muslims who are devoted to religiousstudy. He said Moussaoui's Alexandria jail cell contained religioustexts, including the Koran and the Bible.

Patterson, who billed the government $450 an hour, or $91,000overall, said Moussaoui's harsh words in court and more than 270blistering, handwritten motions he filed from jail -- in which heinsulted prosecutors, the judge and his lawyers -- are all part ofwhat he sees as his war against America. "Making his message known bypen and by word is a part of his war," Patterson said.

Under cross-examination by the defense, Patterson acknowledgedthat his license to practice in Virginia expired in 1998, though hehad testified under oath that it is current and he has worked inVirginia on the Moussaoui case since 2002. Prosecutors pointed outthat he is licensed in Maryland and the District, where his practiceis based.

Earlier, the jury heard testimony from several family members ofpeople who died aboard United Airlines Flight 93, one of the fourplanes hijacked on Sept. 11. Passengers engaged in a furious struggleto retake the plane before the hijackers crashed it into aPennsylvania field.

Jennifer Glick, sister of passenger Jeremy Glick, described howthe family has preserved his memory by setting up a program,"Jeremy's Heroes," to aid young people in physical education in theUnited States and abroad.

Alice Hoaglan, who testified about the loss of her son, Flight 93passenger Mark Bingham, said outside the courthouse that she hadlistened, heartbroken, to the more than three dozen Sept. 11 familymembers who spoke on behalf of the prosecution but was pleased thatthe defense invited her to testify.

Asked whether she felt Moussaoui should be executed, she said:"Zacarias Moussaoui is clearly a despicable man, but none of us isbeyond redemption.''

Moussaoui, Shoe Bomber Link Called 'Highly Unlikely' by FBI

The FBI has no evidence to support Zacarias Moussaoui's testimonythat "shoe bomber" Richard Reid was to be part of his mission to flya hijacked airplane into the White House on Sept. 11, 2001, accordingto a document made public yesterday at Moussaoui's death penaltytrial.

When he took the witness stand, Moussaoui told jurors that top al-Qaeda officials had instructed him to attack the White House and saidReid was to be part of his crew. Moussaoui's lawyers have told thejury that he was exaggerating his role, whereas prosecutors have saidhe was telling the truth.

But two analysts for the FBI, which is the prosecution'sinvestigative arm, believe it is "highly unlikely" that Reid wasslated to be involved in the Sept. 11 attacks, which destroyed theWorld Trade Center and damaged the Pentagon. Their opinion was in astipulation, agreed upon by the defense and prosecution, that wasread into the court record yesterday by Moussaoui's lawyers. It waspresented to the jury as fact and was intended to tell jurors whatReid would have said had he testified.

"To date, there is no information available to indicate thatRichard Reid had advance knowledge of the 9/11 attacks or wasinstructed by al-Qaeda leadership to conduct an operation incoordination with Moussaoui," the document said. It noted that Reidwas traveling from Israel to Amsterdam between May and September2001, a time when Moussaoui was in the United States taking flyinglessons. Reid's own attack, in which he tried to blow up a jetlinerwith a bomb hidden in his shoe, did not take place until December2001.

It was unclear how the FBI's analysis would resonate with jurorsand whether it would raise questions about the truthfulness ofMoussaoui's testimony. Jurors will start deliberating Monday whetherMoussaoui should be executed or sentenced to life in prison.Testimony in the seven-week trial ended late yesterday, and closingarguments are scheduled for Monday morning in U.S. District Court inAlexandria. Moussaoui, 37, pleaded guilty last year to conspiringwith al-Qaeda in the Sept. 11 attacks.

When Moussaoui testified for the second time last week,prosecutors appeared to be trying to blunt the impact of Reid'spossible testimony. After Moussaoui said he and Reid were goodfriends, prosecutors asked him whether they ever discussed the Sept.11 attacks. "Never," Moussaoui said, adding that a senior al-Qaedaofficial had told him: "Reid was part of the team. I was in charge;he was my second. He did not have a single clue about the operation.. . . They told me not to say anything to him."

In a trial filled with role reversals, Moussaoui's lawyers are inthe odd position of trying to discredit their client, who doesn'tspeak to them and who, according to some legal experts, may want todie to become a martyr. A key part of their argument has been thatMoussaoui is mentally ill and prone to delusions that aggrandized hisrole in the Sept. 11 plot and in Osama bin Laden's organization.

To make that point, they tried to call Reid to the stand, buttheir efforts were rebuffed by the judge. Reid is serving a lifesentence in prison for the attempted shoe bombing.

An FBI spokesman, Richard Kolko, would not comment beyond thestipulation. Prosecutors declined to comment.

The document was made public on a day in which defense lawyersrested their case after again calling to the stand relatives ofpeople killed in the Sept. 11 attacks, who testified for the defensein its efforts to have Moussaoui's life spared. The witnesses, barredfrom speaking for or against execution in court, providedremembrances of their loved ones in what amounted to a series ofmoving memorials about how they lived rather than how they died.

Prosecutors then presented a brief rebuttal case that focused on asubject that has played a central role since Moussaoui was charged inDecember 2001: his mental health. Moussaoui has long been known forhis animated behavior in court, though he has limited his outburstsduring the trial to moments when the judge and jury are gone.Yesterday, he screamed during a morning break: "God curse America!"

A clinical psychologist testified for the defense earlier thisweek that Moussaoui has paranoid schizophrenia and is delusional.Prosecutors yesterday presented their own expert, psychiatristRaymond F. Patterson, who said Moussaoui has a "personality disorder"but "there is no evidence from my perspective that he exhibits anyschizophrenia or mental illness." Unlike the defense expert, whonever spoke with Moussaoui beyond a brief conversation in his cell,Patterson interviewed him once in 2002 and twice in 2005.

Patterson said much of the perception that Moussaoui is mentallyill is based on what are actually cultural differences. For instance,he said that when Moussaoui appears to be mumbling in court, he ispraying, which is common for Muslims who are devoted to religiousstudy. He said Moussaoui's Alexandria jail cell contained religioustexts, including the Koran and the Bible.

Patterson, who billed the government $450 an hour, or $91,000overall, said Moussaoui's harsh words in court and more than 270blistering, handwritten motions he filed from jail -- in which heinsulted prosecutors, the judge and his lawyers -- are all part ofwhat he sees as his war against America. "Making his message known bypen and by word is a part of his war," Patterson said.

Under cross-examination by the defense, Patterson acknowledgedthat his license to practice in Virginia expired in 1998, though hehad testified under oath that it is current and he has worked inVirginia on the Moussaoui case since 2002. Prosecutors pointed outthat he is licensed in Maryland and the District, where his practiceis based.

Earlier, the jury heard testimony from several family members ofpeople who died aboard United Airlines Flight 93, one of the fourplanes hijacked on Sept. 11. Passengers engaged in a furious struggleto retake the plane before the hijackers crashed it into aPennsylvania field.

Jennifer Glick, sister of passenger Jeremy Glick, described howthe family has preserved his memory by setting up a program,"Jeremy's Heroes," to aid young people in physical education in theUnited States and abroad.

Alice Hoaglan, who testified about the loss of her son, Flight 93passenger Mark Bingham, said outside the courthouse that she hadlistened, heartbroken, to the more than three dozen Sept. 11 familymembers who spoke on behalf of the prosecution but was pleased thatthe defense invited her to testify.

Asked whether she felt Moussaoui should be executed, she said:"Zacarias Moussaoui is clearly a despicable man, but none of us isbeyond redemption.''

Moussaoui, Shoe Bomber Link Called 'Highly Unlikely' by FBI

The FBI has no evidence to support Zacarias Moussaoui's testimonythat "shoe bomber" Richard Reid was to be part of his mission to flya hijacked airplane into the White House on Sept. 11, 2001, accordingto a document made public yesterday at Moussaoui's death penaltytrial.

When he took the witness stand, Moussaoui told jurors that top al-Qaeda officials had instructed him to attack the White House and saidReid was to be part of his crew. Moussaoui's lawyers have told thejury that he was exaggerating his role, whereas prosecutors have saidhe was telling the truth.

But two analysts for the FBI, which is the prosecution'sinvestigative arm, believe it is "highly unlikely" that Reid wasslated to be involved in the Sept. 11 attacks, which destroyed theWorld Trade Center and damaged the Pentagon. Their opinion was in astipulation, agreed upon by the defense and prosecution, that wasread into the court record yesterday by Moussaoui's lawyers. It waspresented to the jury as fact and was intended to tell jurors whatReid would have said had he testified.

"To date, there is no information available to indicate thatRichard Reid had advance knowledge of the 9/11 attacks or wasinstructed by al-Qaeda leadership to conduct an operation incoordination with Moussaoui," the document said. It noted that Reidwas traveling from Israel to Amsterdam between May and September2001, a time when Moussaoui was in the United States taking flyinglessons. Reid's own attack, in which he tried to blow up a jetlinerwith a bomb hidden in his shoe, did not take place until December2001.

It was unclear how the FBI's analysis would resonate with jurorsand whether it would raise questions about the truthfulness ofMoussaoui's testimony. Jurors will start deliberating Monday whetherMoussaoui should be executed or sentenced to life in prison.Testimony in the seven-week trial ended late yesterday, and closingarguments are scheduled for Monday morning in U.S. District Court inAlexandria. Moussaoui, 37, pleaded guilty last year to conspiringwith al-Qaeda in the Sept. 11 attacks.

When Moussaoui testified for the second time last week,prosecutors appeared to be trying to blunt the impact of Reid'spossible testimony. After Moussaoui said he and Reid were goodfriends, prosecutors asked him whether they ever discussed the Sept.11 attacks. "Never," Moussaoui said, adding that a senior al-Qaedaofficial had told him: "Reid was part of the team. I was in charge;he was my second. He did not have a single clue about the operation.. . . They told me not to say anything to him."

In a trial filled with role reversals, Moussaoui's lawyers are inthe odd position of trying to discredit their client, who doesn'tspeak to them and who, according to some legal experts, may want todie to become a martyr. A key part of their argument has been thatMoussaoui is mentally ill and prone to delusions that aggrandized hisrole in the Sept. 11 plot and in Osama bin Laden's organization.

To make that point, they tried to call Reid to the stand, buttheir efforts were rebuffed by the judge. Reid is serving a lifesentence in prison for the attempted shoe bombing.

An FBI spokesman, Richard Kolko, would not comment beyond thestipulation. Prosecutors declined to comment.

The document was made public on a day in which defense lawyersrested their case after again calling to the stand relatives ofpeople killed in the Sept. 11 attacks, who testified for the defensein its efforts to have Moussaoui's life spared. The witnesses, barredfrom speaking for or against execution in court, providedremembrances of their loved ones in what amounted to a series ofmoving memorials about how they lived rather than how they died.

Prosecutors then presented a brief rebuttal case that focused on asubject that has played a central role since Moussaoui was charged inDecember 2001: his mental health. Moussaoui has long been known forhis animated behavior in court, though he has limited his outburstsduring the trial to moments when the judge and jury are gone.Yesterday, he screamed during a morning break: "God curse America!"

A clinical psychologist testified for the defense earlier thisweek that Moussaoui has paranoid schizophrenia and is delusional.Prosecutors yesterday presented their own expert, psychiatristRaymond F. Patterson, who said Moussaoui has a "personality disorder"but "there is no evidence from my perspective that he exhibits anyschizophrenia or mental illness." Unlike the defense expert, whonever spoke with Moussaoui beyond a brief conversation in his cell,Patterson interviewed him once in 2002 and twice in 2005.

Patterson said much of the perception that Moussaoui is mentallyill is based on what are actually cultural differences. For instance,he said that when Moussaoui appears to be mumbling in court, he ispraying, which is common for Muslims who are devoted to religiousstudy. He said Moussaoui's Alexandria jail cell contained religioustexts, including the Koran and the Bible.

Patterson, who billed the government $450 an hour, or $91,000overall, said Moussaoui's harsh words in court and more than 270blistering, handwritten motions he filed from jail -- in which heinsulted prosecutors, the judge and his lawyers -- are all part ofwhat he sees as his war against America. "Making his message known bypen and by word is a part of his war," Patterson said.

Under cross-examination by the defense, Patterson acknowledgedthat his license to practice in Virginia expired in 1998, though hehad testified under oath that it is current and he has worked inVirginia on the Moussaoui case since 2002. Prosecutors pointed outthat he is licensed in Maryland and the District, where his practiceis based.

Earlier, the jury heard testimony from several family members ofpeople who died aboard United Airlines Flight 93, one of the fourplanes hijacked on Sept. 11. Passengers engaged in a furious struggleto retake the plane before the hijackers crashed it into aPennsylvania field.

Jennifer Glick, sister of passenger Jeremy Glick, described howthe family has preserved his memory by setting up a program,"Jeremy's Heroes," to aid young people in physical education in theUnited States and abroad.

Alice Hoaglan, who testified about the loss of her son, Flight 93passenger Mark Bingham, said outside the courthouse that she hadlistened, heartbroken, to the more than three dozen Sept. 11 familymembers who spoke on behalf of the prosecution but was pleased thatthe defense invited her to testify.

Asked whether she felt Moussaoui should be executed, she said:"Zacarias Moussaoui is clearly a despicable man, but none of us isbeyond redemption.''

Moussaoui, Shoe Bomber Link Called 'Highly Unlikely' by FBI

The FBI has no evidence to support Zacarias Moussaoui's testimonythat "shoe bomber" Richard Reid was to be part of his mission to flya hijacked airplane into the White House on Sept. 11, 2001, accordingto a document made public yesterday at Moussaoui's death penaltytrial.

When he took the witness stand, Moussaoui told jurors that top al-Qaeda officials had instructed him to attack the White House and saidReid was to be part of his crew. Moussaoui's lawyers have told thejury that he was exaggerating his role, whereas prosecutors have saidhe was telling the truth.

But two analysts for the FBI, which is the prosecution'sinvestigative arm, believe it is "highly unlikely" that Reid wasslated to be involved in the Sept. 11 attacks, which destroyed theWorld Trade Center and damaged the Pentagon. Their opinion was in astipulation, agreed upon by the defense and prosecution, that wasread into the court record yesterday by Moussaoui's lawyers. It waspresented to the jury as fact and was intended to tell jurors whatReid would have said had he testified.

"To date, there is no information available to indicate thatRichard Reid had advance knowledge of the 9/11 attacks or wasinstructed by al-Qaeda leadership to conduct an operation incoordination with Moussaoui," the document said. It noted that Reidwas traveling from Israel to Amsterdam between May and September2001, a time when Moussaoui was in the United States taking flyinglessons. Reid's own attack, in which he tried to blow up a jetlinerwith a bomb hidden in his shoe, did not take place until December2001.

It was unclear how the FBI's analysis would resonate with jurorsand whether it would raise questions about the truthfulness ofMoussaoui's testimony. Jurors will start deliberating Monday whetherMoussaoui should be executed or sentenced to life in prison.Testimony in the seven-week trial ended late yesterday, and closingarguments are scheduled for Monday morning in U.S. District Court inAlexandria. Moussaoui, 37, pleaded guilty last year to conspiringwith al-Qaeda in the Sept. 11 attacks.

When Moussaoui testified for the second time last week,prosecutors appeared to be trying to blunt the impact of Reid'spossible testimony. After Moussaoui said he and Reid were goodfriends, prosecutors asked him whether they ever discussed the Sept.11 attacks. "Never," Moussaoui said, adding that a senior al-Qaedaofficial had told him: "Reid was part of the team. I was in charge;he was my second. He did not have a single clue about the operation.. . . They told me not to say anything to him."

In a trial filled with role reversals, Moussaoui's lawyers are inthe odd position of trying to discredit their client, who doesn'tspeak to them and who, according to some legal experts, may want todie to become a martyr. A key part of their argument has been thatMoussaoui is mentally ill and prone to delusions that aggrandized hisrole in the Sept. 11 plot and in Osama bin Laden's organization.

To make that point, they tried to call Reid to the stand, buttheir efforts were rebuffed by the judge. Reid is serving a lifesentence in prison for the attempted shoe bombing.

An FBI spokesman, Richard Kolko, would not comment beyond thestipulation. Prosecutors declined to comment.

The document was made public on a day in which defense lawyersrested their case after again calling to the stand relatives ofpeople killed in the Sept. 11 attacks, who testified for the defensein its efforts to have Moussaoui's life spared. The witnesses, barredfrom speaking for or against execution in court, providedremembrances of their loved ones in what amounted to a series ofmoving memorials about how they lived rather than how they died.

Prosecutors then presented a brief rebuttal case that focused on asubject that has played a central role since Moussaoui was charged inDecember 2001: his mental health. Moussaoui has long been known forhis animated behavior in court, though he has limited his outburstsduring the trial to moments when the judge and jury are gone.Yesterday, he screamed during a morning break: "God curse America!"

A clinical psychologist testified for the defense earlier thisweek that Moussaoui has paranoid schizophrenia and is delusional.Prosecutors yesterday presented their own expert, psychiatristRaymond F. Patterson, who said Moussaoui has a "personality disorder"but "there is no evidence from my perspective that he exhibits anyschizophrenia or mental illness." Unlike the defense expert, whonever spoke with Moussaoui beyond a brief conversation in his cell,Patterson interviewed him once in 2002 and twice in 2005.

Patterson said much of the perception that Moussaoui is mentallyill is based on what are actually cultural differences. For instance,he said that when Moussaoui appears to be mumbling in court, he ispraying, which is common for Muslims who are devoted to religiousstudy. He said Moussaoui's Alexandria jail cell contained religioustexts, including the Koran and the Bible.

Patterson, who billed the government $450 an hour, or $91,000overall, said Moussaoui's harsh words in court and more than 270blistering, handwritten motions he filed from jail -- in which heinsulted prosecutors, the judge and his lawyers -- are all part ofwhat he sees as his war against America. "Making his message known bypen and by word is a part of his war," Patterson said.

Under cross-examination by the defense, Patterson acknowledgedthat his license to practice in Virginia expired in 1998, though hehad testified under oath that it is current and he has worked inVirginia on the Moussaoui case since 2002. Prosecutors pointed outthat he is licensed in Maryland and the District, where his practiceis based.

Earlier, the jury heard testimony from several family members ofpeople who died aboard United Airlines Flight 93, one of the fourplanes hijacked on Sept. 11. Passengers engaged in a furious struggleto retake the plane before the hijackers crashed it into aPennsylvania field.

Jennifer Glick, sister of passenger Jeremy Glick, described howthe family has preserved his memory by setting up a program,"Jeremy's Heroes," to aid young people in physical education in theUnited States and abroad.

Alice Hoaglan, who testified about the loss of her son, Flight 93passenger Mark Bingham, said outside the courthouse that she hadlistened, heartbroken, to the more than three dozen Sept. 11 familymembers who spoke on behalf of the prosecution but was pleased thatthe defense invited her to testify.

Asked whether she felt Moussaoui should be executed, she said:"Zacarias Moussaoui is clearly a despicable man, but none of us isbeyond redemption.''