Zacarias Moussaoui, the only person convicted in a US court for his role in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, has sparked outrage among lawmakers with his request to a Virginia judge to be extradited of origin, France. Moussaoui expressed his fear of a possible execution order from a future Trump administration, in a letter to federal judge Leonie Brinkema.
In his letter, Moussaoui, who is currently being held at ADX Florence in Colorado, stated his prior willingness to cooperate with US authorities against al Qaeda operatives. He expressed concern that if former US President Donald Trump is re-elected, he could face death by presidential executive order.
Moussaoui's letter stands in stark contrast to his behavior during his 2006 trial, which was marked by insults and outbursts in the courtroom. He had previously claimed, then retracted, that he was supposed to have hijacked a fifth plane and taken it to the White House.
In response to Moussaoui's request, a group of US senators wrote to President Biden and Attorney General Merrick Garland, urging them to ignore the request. The senators, led by Marco Rubio and Rick Scott, argued that Moussaoui's preferences about where to serve his sentence for his heinous crimes should not be taken into account. They demanded that his request for extradition be denied and that he be forced to spend the rest of his life in prison in the US
Moussaoui was initially arrested in August 2001 on suspicion of attempting to conduct flight training lessons. He also allegedly received $14,000 in a wire transfer from 9/11 co-conspirator Ramzi bin Alshibh, who was unable to enter the US due to a denied visa application.
A Justice Department spokesman said it is its policy not to discuss prisoner transfer requests or their status. However, they confirmed that Moussaoui is serving a life sentence for terrorism offenses and that the department plans to serve that life sentence in US custody. The White House has not yet responded to a request for comment.
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