Cairo – Osama bin Laden purportedly said in an audiotape Tuesday that Zacarias Moussaoui – the only person convicted in the U.S. for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks – had nothing to do with the operation.
“He had no connection at all with Sept. 11,” the speaker, claiming to be bin Laden, said in the tape, posted on the Internet. “I am the one in charge of the 19 brothers, and I never assigned brother Zacarias to be with them in that mission,” he said, referring to the 19 hijackers.
The al-Qaeda chief said the 9/11 hijackers were divided into two groups, “pilots and assistants.” “Since Zacarias Moussaoui was still learning how to fly, he wasn’t No. 20 in the group, as your government as claimed.”
Bin Laden said Moussaoui’s confession that he helped plan the attacks was the result of “pressures exercised against him during 4 1/2 years” in U.S. prison.
Moussaoui, 37, was sentenced to life in prison this month after a jury ruled he was responsible for at least one death on Sept. 11. The government had already dropped its initial claim that he was the would-be 20th hijacker, arguing instead that he was complicit because he didn’t tell authorities of the plot while he was in custody before the attacks.
Two counterterrorism officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said U.S. intelligence is aware of the tape. One of the officials said there is no reason to doubt its authenticity.
