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Hearing set on whether terror suspect can defend himself

Zacarias Moussaoui

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia (CNN) -- The federal judge presiding over the Zacarias Moussaoui case has scheduled a hearing for oral arguments about whether the defendant should be allowed to dismiss his lawyers and represent himself, as he has asked.

U.S. District Court Judge Leonie Brinkema set the hearing for 1 p.m. June 13 at the federal courthouse in Alexandria, Virginia. It will focus on Moussaoui's mental competence to make the decision.

In the past nine days, Brinkema has received written reports from a court-appointed psychiatrist, Dr. Raymond Patterson from Washington, and two other mental health experts hired by the defense who have had a chance to examine Moussaoui in jail. Their reports have not been made public.

Brinkema did not indicate whether she would rule on Moussaoui's motion at the hearing.

RESOURCES • Defendant's motion for relief   • U.S. government opposition to Moussaoui motion for relief  • Memo re: Special administrative measures for Moussaoui  • Indictment: U.S. v. Moussaoui   (FindLaw documents, PDF format    CNN.COM SPECIAL REPORT  CNN NewsPass Video  Agencies reportedly got hijack tips in 1998  MORE STORIES Intelligence intercept led to Buffalo suspects Report cites warnings before 9/11  EXTRA INFORMATION Timeline: Who Knew What and When? Interactive: Terror Investigation Terror Warnings System Most wanted terrorists What looks suspicious? In-Depth: America Remembers In-Depth: Terror on Tape In-Depth: How prepared is your city?  RESOURCES On the Scene: Barbara Starr: Al Qaeda hunt expands? On the Scene: Peter Bergen: Getting al Qaeda to talk

Moussaoui initially refused to meet with Patterson, whom Brinkema on April 22 ordered Moussaoui to meet after Moussaoui stated in open court that he wanted the defense team led by public defender Frank Dunham to be fired.

Moussaoui, 33, a French citizen of Moroccan descent, told Brinkema he did not trust his defense counsel and that he would prefer to stand trial without them, or retain a Muslim attorney or have the court appoint one.

Moussaoui, indicted December 11 on six terror conspiracy counts, is the first criminal defendant charged in connection with the Sept. 11 terror attacks that killed more than 3,000 people when 19 hijackers commandeered four airliners that crashed into the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon in Northern Virginia, and a field in rural Pennsylvania.

Prosecutors have suggested Moussaoui was an intended 20th hijacker who might have been aboard United Flight 93, the only one of the planes with four instead of five hijackers. They failed to hit their target, presumably in Washington, because a passenger uprising thwarted their plans.

Moussaoui is charged with conspiracy to commit an act of terrorism, to pirate and destroy aircraft, to use weapons of mass destruction, to destroy property, and to murder Americans. Though four of the counts are death-eligible, Moussaoui is not accused of killing anyone himself.

Prosecutors, however, are seeking the death penalty.

Moussaoui was taken into federal custody in Minneapolis August 16, after local flight instructors reported he was acting suspiciously -- for example, asking to be trained on 747s when he hadn't yet earned a pilot's license.

Initially held on an immigration violation, Moussaoui never cooperated with investigators.

"Thousands of victims also died as a direct result of this defendant's lies on August 16 and 17," prosecutors have said. Defense attorneys have said "the government wants to execute someone so badly for the events of September 11" that it has chosen Moussaoui "because no one else is available."

Oral arguments on the death penalty, originally scheduled for last month, were postponed until questions about Moussaoui's representation are resolved.

-- From CNN Producer Phil Hirschkorn