Sept. 11 Suspect Convicted in Germany Wins Retrial

Berlin, Mar. 4 2004 (VOA News) -- The only man to be convicted in connection with the September 11 attacks on the United States won the right to a retrial Thursday.

Germany's Supreme Court threw out the conviction against Mounir el Motassadeq. The presiding judge said the rights of defendants must be protected, even as prosecutors try to help fight the war on terrorism, and even though he called Motassadeq deeply suspicious.

Lawyers acting for Motassadeq had argued that new evidence that helped to acquit another Moroccan on similar charges last month, also made Motassedeq's conviction unreliable.

The 29-year-old was convicted a year ago of being an accessory to the murders of more than 3000 people and of being a member of a terrorist organization.

Last month, a Hamburg court acquitted the second man to be tried for his part in the September 11 attacks, Abdelghani Mzoudi. The court said there was not enough evidence to convict him.

Some of the information in that trial is believed to have come from secret U.S. interrogations of terrorist suspects held in connection with the attacks. had argued that new evidence that helped to acquit another Moroccan on similar charges last month, also made Motassadeq's conviction unreliable.

The 29-year-old was convicted a year ago of being an accessory to the murders of more than 3000 people and of being a member of a terrorist organization.

Last month, a Hamburg court acquitted the second man to be tried for his part in the September 11 attacks, Abdelghani Mzoudi. The court said there was not enough evidence to convict him.

Some of the information in that trial is believed to have come from secret U.S. interrogations of terrorist suspects held in connection with the attacks.

-- Ruth Elkins - Voice of America in Berlin

-- Reprinted with the permission of Voice of America