|
US 'the head of the snake'
13/04/2006 21:46 - (SA)
Alexandria - Al-Qaeda conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui on Thursday called the United States "the head of the snake" as he justified the September 11 attacks.
Moussaoui, giving testimony as part of the defence case for him to be sent to jail for life instead of getting the death penalty, lambasted US support for Israel, which he said was little more than a US colony.
"You (Americans) are the head of the snake for me. If we want to destroy the Jewish state of Palestine, we have to destroy you first," Moussaoui told the court.
The 37-year-old Frenchman of Moroccan origin has pleaded guilty to conspiracy in connection with the September 11 2001 attacks.
The jury has ruled that Moussaoui is eligible for the death penalty and must now decide whether he should be executed. Mental health Prosecutors this week used film and recordings of the attacks on New York and Washington and testimony from victims' relatives to back their case for execution.
The defence plans to highlight Moussaoui's mental health and tough upbringing to support pleas for life imprisonment.
Moussaoui quoted from chapter nine of the Qur'an, the Muslim holy book, which he said called on Muslims to fight for supremacy for Allah.
He said Islamic teachings told that "we have to be the superpower, we have to be above you".
Lead defence lawyer Gerald Zerkin asked Moussaoui why he hated the United States and Americans.
"For theological reasons and life experience reasons," he replied. "It is going to be long."
"You are on a crusade, like (President) George W Bush says. "In Europe, they call New York 'little Israel," he replied, lambasting the United States for being the first, in 1948, to recognise Israel, which he called the "Jewish state of Palestine".
"There is no difference between the Jewish state of Palestine and Hawaii," declared Moussaoui.
"The Jewish state of Palestine is a missing star in the American flag," he added, insisting that Israel was "on a life support" from American money.
- AFP
|
News
