HAMBURG, 14 December 2003 — A Moroccan on trial here over the Sept. 11 attacks has asked for political asylum in order to avoid being arrested by US authorities, German press said yesterday citing his lawyer.
Abdelghani Mzoudi fears being seized by the United States if he were to be expelled to Morocco, according to the weekly magazine Der Spiegel due to be published on Monday.
Mzoudi has been on trial by a German court for four months charged with membership in a terrorist organization and more than 3,000 counts of accessory to murder.
In a legal twist, the court on Thursday ordered the immediate release from custody of the Moroccan, saying he was no longer a key suspect. The move followed fresh evidence.
The charges against Mzoudi were not lifted, meaning the trial goes on. He is only the second suspect anywhere in the world to stand trial over the 2001 suicide hijackings.
