Compensation for wrongly accused 9/11 terrorist

A man whose life was ruined after being wrongly imprisoned over allegations that he helped to train five of the September 11 terrorists is to be awarded substantial compensation by the Government.

Lotfi Raissi, 36, an Algerian pilot living in London, has been granted the award by the Justice Secretary Jack Straw two years after the Court of Appeal cleared him of any involvement in terrorism. Mr Raissi was arrested at his home in a raid authorised under the Terrorism Act, 10 days after the 11 September attacks.

Accused of being the "chief instructor" to the perpetrators, he found himself at the centre of one of the biggest terror investigations in recent years. He was released after seven days but re-arrested under an extradition warrant issued at the request of the US government.

Mr Raissi was told if he was found guilty he could face the death penalty in America. After receiving the news of his compensation yesterday, he said he felt "completely exonerated" by the Justice Secretary. "My life was destroyed, my career was destroyed. I can't even find the words. It was hell for me and for the last nine years," he said.

He added that he hoped he would now be able to "turn the page" and return to his career as a pilot, but said the battle to clear his name was "not a question about the compensation... I was fighting for justice and what I want at the end of it is an apology."

For nearly five months he was held in Belmarsh prison in south-east London and only granted bail after overcoming objections from the Crown Prosecution Service, which was representing the US. Mr Raissi was released after no evidence was put before a court to support the allegations.

According to his solicitors, Mr Raissi wrote to Mr Straw in 2004 asking for compensation as a victim of a miscarriage of justice. Last month, the Justice Secretary was given 28 days by the Court of Appeal to come to a decision.

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: "In accordance with the decisions of the Court of Appeal of February 2008 and March 2010, and after careful consideration of all the relevant material available to him, the Justice Secretary, Jack Straw, has notified Mr Raissi that he is eligible for compensation. The Independent Assessor, Lord Brennan QC, will now be asked to consider the amount to be paid to Mr Raissi. Ministers play no part in determining the amount."

Mr Raissi's solicitor, Jules Carey, said: "The allegations of terrorism were utterly ruinous to him both personally and professionally. Mr Raissi has fought extremely hard to clear his name."

James Welch, legal director at human rights charity Liberty, said: "The shabby treatment of this innocent man is a chilling reminder of why we all need the protection of the courts."

- INDEPENDENT