SOUTH

MOUSSAOUI TOSSED FROM COURTROOM; DECLARES ‘I AM AL QAEDA’

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Proclaiming “I am Al Qaeda,” terrorist conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui disrupted the opening of his sentencing trial yesterday and was tossed out of court as selection began for the jurors who will decide whether he lives or dies. He disavowed his lawyers and pledged to testify on his own behalf in the trial that is to begin March 6. An often volatile figure in his proceedings, Moussaoui was removed from the courtroom four separate times. “This trial is a circus,” he declared. “I want to be heard.” Of his lawyers, he said: “These people do not represent me.”

After jury selection, expected to take a month, a penalty trial will determine whether the 37-year-old Frenchman of Moroccan descent, the only person in America charged in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, will be put to death or sentenced to life in prison. He pleaded guilty last April to conspiring to fly planes into American buildings but claims he had no role in the September 11 plot.

– Associated Press

THOUSANDS ATTEND TRIBUTE TO CORETTA SCOTT KING

ATLANTA – Thousands of mourners filed past the casket of Coretta Scott King yesterday, paying their respects to the “first lady of the civil rights movement” at the historic church where her husband shared his dream for racial equality in the 1960s.

People lined up for blocks outside Ebenezer Baptist Church, waiting for hours in freezing rain for a moment to bid farewell to the widow of the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. Across the street, at least 1,000 people filled the church’s newer facility for a musical tribute, including Oprah Winfrey and other entertainers such as Gladys Knight.

– Associated Press

WEST

HOLLYWOOD PRIVATE EYE PELLICANO INDICTED ON RACKETEERING CHARGES

LOS ANGELES – Celebrity private eye Anthony Pellicano pleaded not guilty yesterday to racketeering charges alleging he paid police officers and others to get into confidential records and provide him with information.

The indictment was unsealed yesterday but not immediately released.

Attorney Steven Gruel, who represents Mr. Pellicano, said the indictment detailed 105 counts against his client. In addition to racketeering, he was charged with unauthorized computer access, interception of wire communications, and possession of a wiretapping device.

Mr. Gruel briefly made a copy of the indictment available to the Associated Press. It said the private detective “paid bribes to corrupt public officials.”

– Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS

LUGAR CLAIMS U.S. DOESN’T FAVOR ISRAELI MILITARY ACTION AGAINST IRAN

The chairman of the Senate’s foreign relations committee, Richard Lugar, a Republican of Indiana, yesterday said that America does not support an Israeli military action against Iran, a statement that has not yet been endorsed by the Bush administration. “The United States does not favor Israeli strikes, is not speaking favorably about such an issue. I think that’s important to say,” Mr. Lugar told United Nations reporters after addressing the Security Council on reform issues. “We are careful to try to work with all of the partners who have been involved in negotiations: with the IAEA and now specifically if it comes to the Security Council, as apparently it will in March,” he added.

Mr. Lugar headed a group of visiting legislators that included Senator Voinovich, a Republican of Ohio, who was a strong voice against the nomination of Ambassador John Bolton. “I spend a lot of time with John on the phone,” Mr. Voinovich said yesterday. “I think he’s really working quite constructively to move forward. Some people have indicated to me that they like his approach. So at this stage in the game, I think he’s doing a job that needs to continue to be watched.”

– Staff Reporter of the Sun