US News
Moussaoui jury still shows no signs of reaching a verdict
By DPA
May 3, 2006, 19:00 GMT

Alexandria, Virginia - The jury finished its fifth full day of deliberations on Tuesday without reaching a verdict, in the death sentencing trial of confessed September 11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui.

The jury once again remained in their room the entire day, taking only a 45-minute lunch break, debating whether Moussaoui, 37, should be executed or receive life in prison without parole for his part in the September 11 attacks.

Some lawyers have said that long deliberations favour a life sentence, as it indicates disagreement among jurors. The jury must return a unanimous verdict for a death sentence - otherwise Moussaoui will receive life in prison.

Moussaoui, a Frenchman of Moroccan descent, is the only man on trial in the US in connection with the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington, which killed almost 3,000 people.

Prosecutors allege that Moussaoui could have prevented the attacks if he had revealed the plot to them upon his arrest on immigration charges in August, 2001. Moussaoui pleaded guilty to six charges of conspiracy in April 2005 and last month was ruled eligible for the death penalty by the 12-member jury in Alexandria, Virginia.

In reaching a decision, the jury must weigh a complicated set of \'aggravating\' factors proposed by prosecutors, against \'mitigating\' factors suggested by defence attorneys.

After receiving the case on April 24, the jury emerged only once last week to ask the judge for a dictionary to look up the word \'aggravating\'. The judge refused, and later had to admonish a juror for looking the word up at home on an internet dictionary.

There were no deliberations on Thursday after a juror called in sick for the day, leading Moussaoui to shout \'Moussaoui biological warfare\' once court was adjourned.