A US federal appeals court ruled today that the US government can proceed with its case against accused September 11th conspirator Mr Zacarias Moussaoui without allowing his lawyers to question three top al-Qaeda operatives.
The appeals court also set aside a judge's ruling that prevented prosecutors from seeking the death penalty as one of the punishments because the US government refused to give Mr Moussaoui's lawyer's access to the witnesses.
Mr Moussaoui is a French citizen of Moroccan descent.
The appeals court sent the case back to the US district court judge in Alexandria, Virginia, for the crafting of a summary that would take the place of the questioning of the witnesses.