German court acquits Sept 11 suspect

KARLSRUHE – Germany’s federal appeal court yesterday ordered the acquittal of a Moroccan student, Abdelghani Mzoudi, who was accused of involvement in the September 11, 2001, attacks.

Mzoudi, 32, had been tried in Hamburg in 2003 but his trial collapsed. The appeals court rejected an appeal from federal prosecutors for a new trial, citing a lack of evidence.The court therefore confirmed the judgement of the Hamburg appeals court which acquitted Mzoudi in February 2004.Mzoudi lives in Hamburg, the northern German port city which was one of the planning nerve centres of the suicide plane attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon which killed around 3 000 people.Prosecutors had claimed Mzoudi was part of the ‘Hamburg cell’.Another Moroccan, Mounir El Motassadeq, is currently in the middle of a retrial on similar charges which is being held in Hamburg.Motassadeq denies having any knowledge of the planning for the attacks.- Nampa-AFPThe appeals court rejected an appeal from federal prosecutors for a new trial, citing a lack of evidence.The court therefore confirmed the judgement of the Hamburg appeals court which acquitted Mzoudi in February 2004.Mzoudi lives in Hamburg, the northern German port city which was one of the planning nerve centres of the suicide plane attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon which killed around 3 000 people.Prosecutors had claimed Mzoudi was part of the ‘Hamburg cell’.Another Moroccan, Mounir El Motassadeq, is currently in the middle of a retrial on similar charges which is being held in Hamburg.Motassadeq denies having any knowledge of the planning for the attacks.- Nampa-AFP