Zacarias Moussaoui was in jail in Minnesota when the September 11 attacks unfolded . On December 11 , 2001 , Moussaoui was indicted by a federal grand jury in United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia on six federal charges : conspiracy to commit acts of terrorism transcending national boundaries , conspiracy to commit aircraft piracy , conspiracy to destroy aircraft , conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction , conspiracy to murder United States employees , and conspiracy to destroy property . The indictment of Zacarias Moussaoui named as unindicted co-conspirators Ramzi Bin al-Shibh and Mustafa al-Hawsawi , among others , for their role in the attack " to murder thousands of innocent people in New York , Virginia and Pennsylvania . " On January 12 , 2002 , Moussaoui refused to enter any plea to the charges and so Judge Leonie Brinkema entered pleas of not guilty . A hearing was held on April 22 , 2002 , to determine his right to self-representation , for by then Moussaoui had declined the assistance of his court-appointed attorneys , and asked to defend himself . At another hearing on June 13 , 2002 , Brinkema deemed him competent to defend himself and allowed the case to move forward . However , Moussaoui later requested the occasional assistance of attorneys to help him with technical issues
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Trials related to the September 11 attacks