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9/11 Terrorist Reportedly Renounces Al-Qaida, Requests Representation From Giuliani

(Photo courtesy of the Sherburne County Sheriffs Office/Getty Images)

Olivia Rondeau Contributor
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The only man serving time in a U.S. prison for participating in the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, has renounced terrorism, al-Qaida, and the Islamic State, according to a Wednesday report from the Associated Press.

Zacarias Moussaoui, 51, is currently serving six life sentences after narrowly escaping death row at his 2006 trial at Federal ADX supermax prison in Colorado, according to the case documents. While there wasn’t substantial evidence that he was planning on hijacking one of the planes, the prosecution made the case that Moussaoui could have prevented the 9/11 attacks had he not lied about al-Qaida’s plans to attack the U.S. when he was arrested in August 2001, according to a 2006 CNN report. He was sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison without parole for conspiring to kill American citizens. (RELATED: Watch Videos Of People Celebrating Osama Bin Laden’s Death)

Moussaoui handwrote and filed a motion with the federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, in April to seek relaxed special administrative measures under which he serves his sentence. On Wednesday, Associated Press reported what he said:

I denounce, repudiate Usama bin Laden as a useful idiot of the CIA/Saudi. I also proclaim unequivocally my opposition to any terrorist action, attack, propaganda against the U.S.

The convicted felon has also reportedly requested Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City during the attacks, or Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz, to represent him in a civil trial filed by victims of the terrorist attacks. (RELATED: REPORT: Data Firm Responsible For Locating Osama Bin Laden Is Working With Trump To Take On Coronavirus Outbreak)

In a statement obtained by Washington Examiner, Dershowitz claimed that he had not received a direct request from Moussaoui. “If he truly wants to help the victims of terrorism, I would be willing to speak to him,” he reportedly added.

As recently as 2018, Moussaoui referred to himself as a “natural born terrorist” in his court papers.