Zacarias Moussaoui

Zacarias Moussaoui is a French al-Qaeda member who pleaded guilty in the United States to conspiring to kill U.S. citizens in connection with the September 11 attacks. He was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2006.

Connect

United States v. Moussaoui: The federal criminal case in which Zacarias Moussaoui pleaded guilty to conspiring to kill U.S. citizens. This case records the charges, guilty plea, trial, and sentence arising from his conduct.
Al-Qaeda: A transnational jihadist militant organization founded by Osama bin Laden and others. Moussaoui joined the organization whose September 11 plot shaped his prosecution.
Phoenix Memo: An FBI communication sent in July 2001 warning of unusual interest in aviation training among Middle Eastern men. It illustrates another warning about flight schools that failed to prompt a coordinated response.
September 11 hijackers: The 19 al-Qaeda operatives who seized four commercial aircraft on September 11, 2001. Moussaoui was not among the 19 hijackers, despite his conviction's connection to their attacks.
September 11 attacks: A coordinated terrorist attack by al-Qaeda against the United States on September 11, 2001. Moussaoui was prosecuted for conspiring in connection with the attacks, though he was not a hijacker.
Osama bin Laden: A Saudi-born militant who founded al-Qaeda and directed its campaign against the United States and its allies. Bin Laden led the organization Moussaoui joined and the attacks tied to his case.
FISA wall: A perceived separation between intelligence and criminal investigators operating under different legal authorities. Restrictions and misunderstandings about information sharing complicated efforts to investigate Moussaoui.
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed: A senior al-Qaeda planner who organized the September 11 attacks and was captured in 2003. Unlike Moussaoui, Mohammed is accused of helping plan the attacks and faces prosecution at Guantanamo Bay.
Zacarias Moussaoui trial: The 2006 penalty-phase proceedings that determined whether Moussaoui would receive death or life imprisonment. Jurors rejected the death penalty after hearing evidence about his role and the attacks.
Hamburg cell: A group of al-Qaeda-linked militants based in Hamburg, Germany, several of whom became September 11 hijackers. Moussaoui's European al-Qaeda connections intersected with the wider network that produced the hijackers.