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OPINION: TERRORISM: Annoying French
Monday, March 25, 2002
The Florida Times-Union

Opinion:
It was outrageous when the French government threatened to retaliate if the United States seeks the death penalty against Zacarias Moussaoui.

There is considerable circumstantial evidence of Moussaoui's involvement in the Sept. 11 conspiracy.

He trained at al-Qaida terrorist camps in Afghanistan, met several times in Malaysia with two of the hijackers, and received money from the same German and Middle East sources as the hijackers. He aroused suspicions, however, when he told instructors at a Minnesota flight school that he wanted to learn to fly -- but not to take off or land.

Immigration officials detained him on visa violations, and he was in a jail cell when the attacks took place.

Federal prosecutors have until Friday to decide whether to seek capital punishment.

That is of interest to France not only because Moussaoui is a French citizen (of Moroccan descent) but also because the government there opposes the death penalty.

French leaders already have said they won't extradite any terrorist suspect if he would be facing the possibility of capital punishment. They also have offered to help Moussaoui with his legal defense.

Those decisions were defensible, although not wise. The French clearly crossed the line, however, when they threatened to ban the gathering of evidence against Moussaoui in France if it could be used to put him to death.

When Moussaoui went to the United States for the express purpose of killing thousands of innocent Americans, if the evidence proves that indeed did happen, he voluntarily put himself at the mercy of the U.S. courts. If he wanted immunity from capital punishment, he should have conspired in France to kill Frenchmen instead.

Al-Qaida is still functioning. There is evidence that it is linked to several recent acts of terrorism, including the grenade attack that killed two Americans in a Pakistani church.

The French, if they know their own mid-1900s history, should realize it isn't easy dealing with Islamic terrorists. Mercy will not deter unmerciful acts.
(Jacksonville.com News Source)
2002 © The Florida Times-Union.

Dan