Moussaoui has only confessed to being a member of Al Qaeda and pledging his loyalty to Usama bin Laden. Court observers believe that alone could be enough to send him to jail for the rest of his life.

The one-page letter to the judge and federal prosecutors in which Moussaoui, 36, apparently said he wants to plead guilty was sent from his jail cell two weeks ago. One source told FOX News that his wish to enter the plea and likely face the death penalty are against the advice of his attorneys. Sources told The Los Angeles Times that Moussaoui's lawyers wanted his request actually thrown out, arguing that it's his naive attempt to win a hearing before the U.S. Supreme Court.

But the high court last month declined to hear Moussaoui's appeal and it let stand a 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that kept the death penalty in play and ordered a compromise on Moussaoui's access to top-ranking Al Qaeda figures that are in U.S. custody.