Suspect 'dreamed' of attack
2006-03-09 07:59
Alexandria - September 11 conspirator
Zacarias Moussaoui talked of his dream to fly an airplane into
the White House more than a year before the hijacked aircraft
attacks, a witness linked to al-Qaeda testified in federal
court on Wednesday.
Fazi Bafana, formerly a treasurer of a unit of Jemaah
Islamiah, which is linked to al-Qaeda, revealed discussion of
that dream in videotaped testimony played during Moussaoui's
sentencing trial.
Moussaoui, 37, has already pleaded guilty to conspiracy in
connection with the September 11 attacks, but said he took no part
in those attacks and was to be part of a second wave of
attacks. The trial is to determine whether he is to be executed
for his crime or will be jailed for life.
Bafana, who said he had been involved in planning possible
attacks on United States military installations.
He described meeting in mid-2000 a man he knew only as
"John," but who he later identified as Moussaoui, and whom he
said he had allowed to stay at his home in Kuala Lumpur.
Dreamed of attack
"He told me he had a dream. He dreamed to fly an airplane
... into the White House," Bafana said. "He told me he informed
(Osama bin Laden) what he dreamed and (bin Laden) said go
ahead. He asked me to assist him."
Bafana said Moussaoui spoke of his desire to carry out
"jihad," particularly against America, and said he needed help
with financing. He was also interested in obtaining ammonium
nitrate and aluminum powder - materials used to make bombs.
Bafana, who was born in Singapore but is a Malaysian
citizen, was interviewed by federal prosecutors at an
undisclosed facility in Southeast Asia. The deposition was made
with Moussaoui and US District Judge Leonie Brinkema through
a video hook-up to the Alexandria courthouse.
Bafana said Moussaoui had asked Jemaah Islamiah for $10 000
to help him travel to Europe and then finance flight training
in the United States.
Under cross examination, Bafana said he and Hambali thought
Moussaoui was "cuckoo" and they wanted him to leave Malaysia.
The testimony was the first in the trial from a foreigner
detained abroad.
Moussaoui, a French citizen of Moroccan descent, has
admitted to being a member of al-Qaeda and pleaded guilty in
April to six charges, including conspiracy to commit terrorism,
in connection with the September 11 attacks.
The statement of facts signed by Moussaoui when he pleaded
guilty included a paragraph that said bin Laden had personally
approved of Moussaoui's plan to attack the White House.
"Bin Laden told Moussaoui: 'Sahrawi, remember your dream,'"
it said, using one of Moussaoui's aliases.
To obtain a death sentence the US government must prove
Moussaoui's actions led to at least one death even though he
was arrested before the attacks in August 2001 after he raised
suspicions at a flight school.
- Reuters