Judge refuses guilty plea by al-Qaeda agent

THE US:  Mr Zacarias Moussaoui has said he was a member of al-Qaeda and tried to plead guilty to charges of conspiracy for the…

THE US:  Mr Zacarias Moussaoui has said he was a member of al-Qaeda and tried to plead guilty to charges of conspiracy for the September 11th attacks on the US, but a federal judge refused to accept his plea.

Mr Moussaoui, facing his third indictment on conspiracy charges, said in court he had knowledge of the hijacking attacks, was a member of al-Qaeda and pledged his allegiance to Osama bin Laden.

"I want to have a plea of guilty, because this will ensure to save my life . . . if I plead guilty I will be able to prove I have certain knowledge of September 11th," he told the court.