Moussaoui called 'dirty Arab' by girlfriend's family

A witness called by US defence attorneys trying to spare the life of September 11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui said today he came from a broken home where his mother was repeatedly beaten, and has a history of mental illness in his family.

Jan Vogelsang, a clinical social worker, told the jury in Alexandria, Virginia, Moussaoui was in and out of orphanages the first six years of his life.