A new audiotape purportedly from al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden says imprisoned terrorist Zacarias Moussaoui had nothing to do with the September 11th, 2001 attacks on the United States.
The tape was released on an Internet website Tuesday.
A man claiming to be bin Laden said he personally assigned what he called "all 19 brothers" to attack World Trade Center and the Pentagon with hijacked planes.
He said Moussaoui was not ordered to be part of the mission and had no connection to September 11th. Experts have not yet verified if the voice belongs to bin Laden.
Moussaoui is the only person charged in the United States with the September 11th attacks. A jury earlier this month sentenced him to life in prison.
U.S. authorities arrested Moussaoui about a month before the attacks while he was undergoing flight training. He was charged with at least one death for not telling authorities about plans for an attack.
Moussaoui claimed he was to have been one of the hijackers and fly a plane into the White House. His lawyers said he exaggerated his role and is mentally unstable.
Information for this report is provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
