PARIS, Nov 28: France said on Wednesday it had changed its mind and would now cooperate with the United States justice department in its prosecution of Zacarias Moussaoui, a suspect in last year’s Sept 11 attacks.

It was only two weeks ago, Nov 15 to be precise, that French Justice Minister Dominique Dominique Perben had told his American counterpart, US Attorney General John Ashcroft, in Washington that France had decided to “block” all future exchanges of information concerning Moussaoui, especially his alleged Pakistan connection.

But Mr Perben now says that the United States has “guaranteed” him that the information which France will provide to the United States about Moussaoui “would not be utilized with the objective of condemning (Moussaoui) to death or executing such a decision”.

The minister also noted he had obtained a “written promise” from the United States authorities that Moussaoui would not be given the death sentence.

The information which particularly interested US investigators related to a secret file on the suspect compiled by the Direction de la Surveillance du Terriroire (DST), the French equivalent of FBI.

According to anti-terrorism specialists in the French prosecutor’s office, the file contains detailed information on Moussaoui’s career _ everything from his early education near Montpellier, through his first flirt with Muslim extremists on French soil, and his decision to leave France to undergo training in Pakistan.

Opinion

Editorial

Doctor attacked
09 Jun, 2026

Doctor attacked

AN act of reprehensible violence has shaken the medical community. On Saturday, an employee of the Provincial Civil...
AJK flare-up
Updated 09 Jun, 2026

AJK flare-up

The situation started deteriorating after a trader affiliated with the JAAC was reportedly shot in an altercation with law-enforcers.
Fault lines
09 Jun, 2026

Fault lines

THE April 8 ceasefire that halted hostilities between Israel and Iran has encountered its most serious test yet....
Soft on traders
08 Jun, 2026

Soft on traders

THE Fixed Tax Asaan Scheme for traders with an annual turnover of up to Rs200m has been designed as a ‘pragmatic...
Ceasefire in name
Updated 08 Jun, 2026

Ceasefire in name

Both sides accuse the other of violating the truce that was supposed to halt the conflict in April, yet neither appears willing to abandon negotiations altogether.
Damaged childhoods
08 Jun, 2026

Damaged childhoods

CHILD abuse is so prevalent that the UN ranked Pakistan as the least safe country for children. Even so, more than...