U.S. Widower Takes Advantage of Right to Participate in German Prosecution

On November 11, 2002, a German court in Hamburg announced that Stephen Push of Great Falls, Virginia whose wife died aboard the airliner that crashed into the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, has been allowed to join in Germany?s prosecution of an alleged member of the Hamburg cell that was involved in the attacks. Since the 19th century German law has permitted the survivors of crimes or the next of kin of murder victims the right to move the court to participate in trials of the alleged defendants. Lisa Joy Raines, Push?s, was on American Airlines Flight 77. Prosecutors have charged Motassadeq, a Moroccan citizen, with more than 3,000 counts of accessory to murder and membership in a terrorist organization. An indictment charges the Motassadeq served as a financier for the Hamburg cell of the al Qaeda organization and ?assisted in the planning and committing of the attacks by a great number of activities.? Push is represented by Andreas Schulz. In her representation of U.S. families in the prosecution of defendants for a 1986 bombing at the La Bella disco in Berlin that killed two U.S. servicemen, Mr. Schulz helped show the court that the intelligence service of Libya helped plan the attack. While Mr. Motassadeq has admitted knowing other alleged cell members and attending a training camp in Afghanistan sponsored by Osama bin Laden, he denies knowing of any terrorist plans.