Sources: Man allegedly linked to al Qaeda arrested
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Zacarias Moussaoui
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Prosecutors step up efforts to link accused terrorist Zacarias Moussaoui to the September 11 attacks. CNN's Kelli Arena reports.
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A man who allegedly has ties to al Qaeda and has trained in its camps is in federal custody in Minneapolis, Minnesota, law enforcement sources said Wednesday.
The details are under seal because the man is being held as a material witness in a federal investigation, those sources said.
One source said the man, arrested Tuesday, has provided information about Zacarias Moussaoui, an al Qaeda operative arrested in Minnesota in August 2001.
Moussaoui, 35, is the only defendant facing trial in connection to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. He was indicted two years ago this month. He faces six charges, including conspiracy to commit terrorism and conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction.
Sources would not name the man, but said he is not from the United States.
The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported in Wednesday's edition that the detainee confirmed some of investigators' suspicions about Moussaoui and that he described Moussaoui's activities at an al Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan several years ago.
A French citizen of Moroccan heritage, Moussaoui was arrested initially on an immigration violation after he aroused suspicion at a Minnesota flight school where he sought jetliner simulator training, but lacked a pilot's license.
Prosecutors contend Moussaoui's actions after his arrival in the United States in February 2001 mirrored those of the September 11 hijackers and that he aspired to fly a passenger jet into the White House.
Moussaoui admits belonging to al Qaeda and swears loyalty to its leader, Osama bin Laden. He contends he was planning to participate in a later attack outside the United States.
A ruling by the trial judge in Moussaoui's case that would give him the right to question fellow al Qaeda detainees is before a federal appeals court in Virginia.
At the appeal hearing last week, the Justice Department argued that Moussaoui has no right to question al Qaeda detainees whom he says will clear him of involvement. The appeals ruling is expected to affect how terrorism cases are prosecuted in U.S. civilian courts.
If the Justice Department's appeal fails, the government could take Moussaoui out of the civilian justice system and place him in military custody.
