Abdelghani Mzoudi
Encyclopedia
Abdelghani Mzoudi (born December 6, 1972 in Marrakech
, Morocco
) was an alleged member of al-Qaeda
and an associate of Mohamed Atta
, the ringleader of the September 11 attacks who also served as the hijacker-pilot of American Airlines Flight 11
.
In 1999, Mzoudi lived in the Hamburg cell
, an apartment owned by Atta, where many of the organizers of the September 11 attacks met and planned their future. His specific role in the attacks has not been determined, but he does not seem to have attempted to enter the United States at any time.
Mzoudi was captured and tried in Germany, along with Mounir El Motassadeq
, on charges relating to the 9/11 attacks. In their trials, both claimed Ramzi bin al-Shibh, a key planner of the attacks, would have given statements indicating their innocence. Both asked for the United States to present bin al-Shibh as a witness, and the judge agreed that this was a reasonable request. Although the German Justice Ministry pressed the U.S. to present bin al-Shibh, the United States refused, and Mzoudi was thereby acquitted in February 2004. Some observers believe that he would have been convicted had bin al-Shibh been made available as a witness. Ziad Jarrah
's fiancee Aysel Sengün testified at Mzoudi's trial.http://iafrica.com/news/worldnews/263057.htm
In June 2005, a German federal appeals court upheld the acquittal due to insufficient evidence for retrial. The German Interior Ministry was seeking to deport Mzoudi, though the defense team was considering asking for asylum.
Mzoudi was finally deported to Morocco
where he now lives as a free man.
Marrakech
Marrakech or Marrakesh , known as the "Ochre city", is the most important former imperial city in Morocco's history...
, Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
) was an alleged member of al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
and an associate of Mohamed Atta
Mohamed Atta
Mohamed Mohamed el-Amir Awad el-Sayed Atta was one of the masterminds and the ringleader of the September 11 attacks who served as the hijacker-pilot of American Airlines Flight 11, crashing the plane into the North Tower of the World Trade Center as part of the coordinated attacks.Born in 1968...
, the ringleader of the September 11 attacks who also served as the hijacker-pilot of American Airlines Flight 11
American Airlines Flight 11
American Airlines Flight 11 was American Airlines' daily scheduled morning transcontinental flight from Logan International Airport, in Boston, Massachusetts, to Los Angeles International Airport, in Los Angeles, California...
.
In 1999, Mzoudi lived in the Hamburg cell
Hamburg cell
The Hamburg cell was, according to U.S. and German intelligence agencies, a group of radical Islamists based in Hamburg, Germany that included students who eventually came to be key operatives in the 9/11 attacks...
, an apartment owned by Atta, where many of the organizers of the September 11 attacks met and planned their future. His specific role in the attacks has not been determined, but he does not seem to have attempted to enter the United States at any time.
Mzoudi was captured and tried in Germany, along with Mounir El Motassadeq
Mounir El Motassadeq
Mounir el-Motassadeq was accused of being a member of al-Qaeda and of assisting some of the organizers of the September 11, 2001 attacks. He was initially convicted of involvement in the attack, but his sentence was set aside on appeal, then reinstated on further appeal...
, on charges relating to the 9/11 attacks. In their trials, both claimed Ramzi bin al-Shibh, a key planner of the attacks, would have given statements indicating their innocence. Both asked for the United States to present bin al-Shibh as a witness, and the judge agreed that this was a reasonable request. Although the German Justice Ministry pressed the U.S. to present bin al-Shibh, the United States refused, and Mzoudi was thereby acquitted in February 2004. Some observers believe that he would have been convicted had bin al-Shibh been made available as a witness. Ziad Jarrah
Ziad Jarrah
Ziad Samir Jarrah was one of the masterminds of the September 11 attacks who served as the hijacker-pilot of United Airlines Flight 93, crashing the plane into a field in a rural area near Shanksville—after a passenger uprising—as part of the coordinated attacks.After a wealthy and secular...
's fiancee Aysel Sengün testified at Mzoudi's trial.http://iafrica.com/news/worldnews/263057.htm
In June 2005, a German federal appeals court upheld the acquittal due to insufficient evidence for retrial. The German Interior Ministry was seeking to deport Mzoudi, though the defense team was considering asking for asylum.
Mzoudi was finally deported to Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
where he now lives as a free man.
External links
- The Final 9/11 Commission Report
- Mzoudi's acquittal
- Acquittal of 9/11 suspect upheld, BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, 9 June 2005