Mr Zacarias Moussaoui, the alleged twentieth September 11 hijacker, attempted to plead guilty in a Washington court, but the judge insisted that he take a week to think about it.
He admitted he was a member of al Qaeda pledged to Osama bin Laden, Mr Moussaoui told District Judge Leonie Brinkema, who moments earlier had entered a not guilty plea on his behalf to a third indictment.
Shortly after that, Mr Moussaoui tried to plead guilty.
After an arraignment in which Mr Moussaoui often sparred with the judge, Ms Brinkema insisted that Mr Moussaoui think about his decision for a week. She scheduled a hearing for next Thursday.
"I don't need," Mr Moussaoui said in response. "I've been thinking about it for months."
Mr Moussaoui, a French citizen, said, however, he wanted to fight the government's attempt to have him executed. The penalty phase normally would come after a guilty plea or conviction in a trial.