'20th Hijacker': FBI Set Surveillance

— -- Moussaoui: FBI Planted Tracking DeviceA L E X A N D R I A, V a., July 9 — Zacarias Moussaoui wants an independentexpert to determine if an electric fan he says mysteriouslyappeared on his car in the spring of 2001 contained a trackingdevice planted by the FBI.

In a motion unsealed Monday, the accused Sept. 11 conspiratorsaid the FBI "must have used the strategem to avoid to have to goto a judge to get a warrant to plant electronic surveillancedevice."

The motion is one of more than four dozen Moussaoui has filedsince taking over as his own lawyer last month. It adds a newelement to the 34-year-old French citizen's contention that U.S.officials know he's innocent of the attacks on New York andWashington because they had him and the 19 hijackers undersurveillance for months.

The government has said neither Moussaoui nor any of thehijackers were being watched by U.S. authorities prior to Sept. 11.

Monday was the deadline for Moussaoui to file motions before histrial this fall on charges that he conspired to commit acts ofterrorism, commit aircraft piracy, destroy aircraft, use weapons ofmass destruction, murder U.S. employees and destroy property. Thegovernment has said it will seek the death penalty.

Several of his motions, including seven more filed Monday,remain under seal. U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema has beenreviewing each of his pleadings before allowing their release.

Moussaoui asked last week for permission to testify beforeCongress about his conspiracy theory. The government offered noobjection, and Brinkema relayed his request to congressionalleaders.

House and Senate intelligence committee leaders will discuss therequest later this week, a spokesman for Sen. Bob Graham, D-Fla.,said Monday. But there seemed to be little interest among committeemembers to hear from the only person charged in connection withSept. 11.

"I can't imagine us being interested in hearing from him atthis point," said Rep. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga. "The congressionalinquiry is not the place for that to be aired."

In the motions unsealed Monday, Moussaoui asked for anindependent forensic examination of an electric fan that was"mysteriously left on my car like a present or gift" when he wasliving in Oklahoma. He said he left the fan in his apartment whenhe moved to Minnesota, where he was arrested Aug. 16 after raisingthe suspicions of instructors at a flight school.