Moussaoui Sentenced to Life in Prison

A federal jury sentenced Zacarias Moussaoui to life in prison, instead of giving him the death penalty, for his minor role in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, The New York Times reports.

The jurors left the courthouse withouth discussing their reasoning, the paper reports. But the verdict form they filled out indicated that they considered his troubled upbringing in a dysfunctional immigrant Moroccan family in France and extended periods in orphanages.

The story states that the only individual charged in a U.S. courtroom in connection with the worst attack on American soil will spend the rest of his life in prison, without the possibility of release.

Minutes after receving his sentence, and after the judge and jury left the courtroom, the Times reported that Moussaoui thrust his fists in the air and shouted, “America, you lost, you lost! Novak, I won!”

Novak was one of three government prosecutors in the case.

Upon hearing the verdict, President Bush expressed his sympathy for the victims’ families, but lauded the fact that Moussaoui received a fair trial.

“The end of this trial represents the end of this case, but not an end to the fight against terror,” Mr. Bush said in a White House statement.

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By Paul Kerstein