Judge Refuses to Free Alleged 9/11 Accomplice

A judge in Hamburg has refused to release a Moroccan man accused of conspiracy and accessory to murder after hearing testimony from a German intelligence official. The defendant, Abdelghani Mzoudi, was still suspected of having aided several of the suicide hijackers in preparing the 9/11 attacks, the judge said. Mzoudi's defense lawyers had petitioned for his release after a government intelligence official told the court last week that the terrorist attacks were planned in Afghanistan. The defense argued that the case against Mzoudi was based on evidence that the attacks were planned in Hamburg, and thus it should be dropped. Both the judge and prosecutors said that was not the case.