September 11th conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui returns to court today where a jury will determine whether he should be executed for his crimes.
Zacarias Moussaoui
In April, Moussaoui - the only person charged in the United States in connection with the September 11th attacks - pleaded guilty to all six counts against him.
A jury will now determine whether he is sentenced to death or life in prison.
In the first step of a lengthy process to choose a jury, 500 prospective jurors will appear at the US District Court in Alexandria, Virginia, today to fill out detailed questionnaires.
The questionnaire, which runs about 50 pages, asks prospective jurors about their personal information as well as specific questions related to terrorism, al-Qaeda and the September 11th attacks.
US District Judge Leonie Brinkema has set aside one month - an unusually long time - to pick a jury of 12 people plus six alternates. Final jury selection and opening statements are scheduled for March 6th.
Judge Brinkema will be trying to find an impartial jury for the trial being held just a few kilometres from the Pentagon - one of the targets on September 11th. She has also ruled that, due to the intense media scrutiny and public interest in the case, jurors will remain anonymous.
She has forbidden photographs or courtroom sketches that show the facial features or hair of jurors.
The trial to determine Moussaoui's sentence will consist of two stages. The first phase will be to determine whether Moussaoui (37) intentionally lied to the FBI in interviews prior to September 11th about his knowledge of the plan to hijack planes.
If the jury determines he did lie, preventing the government from possibly stopping the attacks, then another phase of the trial will be held to see whether Moussaoui should be given the death penalty or life in prison.
Moussaoui, a French citizen of Moroccan descent, was detained in Minnesota in August 2001 on immigration charges after raising suspicions at a flight school.