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Moussaoui talks to 'standby' lawyers

Moussaoui

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia (CNN) -- Despite considering them "bloodsuckers," September 11 defendant Zacarias Moussaoui has spoken with his court-appointed "standby" defense team for the first time in three months.

In a motion filed in a federal court in Virginia, where Moussaoui is representing himself, the defendant reveals that he had a telephone conversation with Virginia Federal Defender Frank Dunham and another attorney on Thursday.

Moussaoui is the only person facing trial in connection with the September 11 terrorist attacks. He has admitted belonging to al Qaeda and swearing allegiance to its leader, Osama bin Laden, but he denies being involved in the September 11 plot.

He had refused to talk with Dunham or the other four court-appointed lawyers since April 22, when he announced his belief that the attorneys were conspiring with the government to convict him and bring about his execution.

Moussaoui has been in U.S. custody since mid-August. After declaring him mentally competent to conduct his own defense in June, Judge Leonie Brinkema put the defense lawyers on standby in case she orders them to take over.

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In court papers released Friday, Moussaoui -- who faces a possible death penalty if convicted -- refers to his legal team as a "horde of bloodsuckers."

Moussaoui, 34, a French citizen, told Judge Leonie Brinkema he wanted to act as his own lawyer and find a Muslim attorney to assist him.

In the recent filings, Moussaoui also criticized the judge for not letting him meet with a particular lawyer, Charles Freeman, a Muslim, who the judge said refused to comply with courthouse rules, The Associated Press reported.

"Brinkema go home, sweet home," wrote Moussaoui in demanding he be allowed to meet with Freeman, according to the AP.

Moussaoui phoned Dunham and standby counsel Alan Yamamoto for "information on my case," according to Moussaoui's most recent motion, unsealed Friday. But the conversation turned out badly when Moussaoui suspected that Dunham was taping the call.

Moussaoui wrote a dozen new motions this week.

"I have less than two months before trial. I have no access to the outside world," Moussaoui wrote in one.

Moussaoui's conditions of confinement, typical of terrorism suspects, limit his contact to attorneys and immediate family. He is kept in his cell 22 hours a day, but he has been provided with a computer to review thousands of pages of documents in evidence transferred to CD-ROM's.

Moussaoui is again asking for more time to prepare for trial, scheduled to begin with jury selection on September 30. So far, Brinkema has refused to adjust the calendar.

He also asks for access to secret evidence, claiming that all exculpatory evidence has been classified. "I am not 9/11," said.

-- CNN producer Phil Hirschkorn contributed to this report.