Germany charges Sept 11 suspect

Federal prosecutors today filed charges against Mounir El Motassadeq, the only September 11 suspect in custody in Germany, where several of the key hijackers were based.

El Motassadeq was charged in a Hamburg court in "connection with his connection to the terror attacks on the United States", said the prosecutor’s office but did not announce specific charges.

The 28-year-old was arrested in November at his Hamburg apartment on suspicions he had "intensive contacts" with the September 11 hijackers who had been living in Hamburg, including alleged ringleader Mohamed Atta and Marwan Al-Shehhi and Ziad Jarrah.

El Motassadeq’s name appeared on a US list of 370 individuals and organizations with suspected links to the September 11 attacks. At that time he denied any involvement.

"All of this is false, I have nothing to do with this thing," he said.