Chiswick resident says false charges destroyed his life

The Chiswick resident falsely accused of training the terrorists who carried out the 9/11 attacks is taking his claim for compensation to the High Court.

Lofti Raissi was held in jail for 5 months after the FBI made a request to extradite him. His legal representatives are saying that as the case against him was completely without foundation he should be entitled to compensation. Early this year the High Court decided that he was not eligible for a payout as these did not apply to extradition cases according to the Home Office.

The 32 year old Algerian commercial airline pilot is appealing against the decision saying that the repeated accusations made against have destroyed his life and he has been unable to get work in the aviation industry.

He was arrested with his brother and sister at gunpoint 10 days after the September 11th attacks at his home near Heathrow airport. He was held initially on the basis that he had failed to declare a tennis injury when applying for a US pilot's license. The judge was told that he should not be given bail because this was just a holding charge as he was about to be charged with conspiracy to murder. However, the case against him quickly unravelled as documentary and video evidence proved to be erroneous. He was released on bail in February 2002 and then finally exonerated by a judge who ruled that there was no evidence against him.

The case continues.

October 10, 2006