Al-Qaeda Suspect Refuses to Give Evidence at Alleged Sept. 11 Helper Trial
AP 2004/11/3
An Al-Qaeda suspect awaiting extradition to Spain after his arrest in Germany refused to give evidence Wednesday at the trial of a Moroccan man accused of helping the Sept. 11 hijackers.
Mamoun Darkazanli, a Syrian-German businessman, is accused by Spanish authorities of being a key Al-Qaeda figure and giving the group logistical and financial support. He appears in a 1999 wedding video with the three suicide pilots who lived and studied in Hamburg -- Mohamed Atta, Marwan al-Shehhi and Ziad Jarrah.
During a brief appearance at the retrial of Mounir el Motassadeq, Darkazanli made use of his right to refuse testimony while under criminal investigation.
"I'm not going to answer any questions," he told the Hamburg state court.
German police questioned Darkazanli shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, but he was freed for lack of evidence and continued to live in the northern port city.
Darkazanli is among 41 suspects, including bin Laden himself, indicted by Baltasar Garzon, a Spanish judge investigating Al-Qaeda. He was arrested in Hamburg last month.
The United States has labeled his Hamburg-based trading company a front for terrorism. Darkazanli, 46, appeared on U.S. suspect lists after Sept. 11, but has denied any links to bin Laden or the attacks.
El Motassadeq is charged with more than 3,000 counts of accessory to murder and membership in a terrorist organization. He has acknowledged knowing the Hamburg-based hijackers, but says he was unaware of their plot.
The 30-year-old was convicted and sentenced to the maximum 15 years in prison in February 2003.
In March, an appeals court overturned the conviction and ordered a retrial, ruling that he was unfairly denied evidence from Al-Qaeda suspects in U.S. custody. The retrial opened in August.
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