France, Sept. 11 -- Moussaoui, now 58, has spent 20 years in a maximum security prison in Colorado after being convicted in 2006 of conspiracy in connection with the 9/11 al-Qaeda attacks, which killed nearly 3,000 people.

He is serving a life sentence in solitary confinement, with no possibility of parole.

His lawyer, Romain Ruiz, said a request for his transfer to France was sent to the French Justice Ministry on 3 September, under a 1983 agreement allowing convicted prisoners to be transferred between France and the United States.

The request is based on what Ruiz described as "exceptional circumstances relating to the unfairness of his trial, his current conditions of detention and his family situation". Violation of rights

Moussa...