9/11 pilot trainer lashes out

http://www.news24.com/News24/World/N...854770,00.html

22/12/2005 20:37 - (SA)

London - An Algerian pilot once accused of training the September 11 hijackers filed a complaint against Scotland Yard's anti-terrorist branch on Thursday, his lawyer said.

Lotfi Raissi was detained near London shortly after the suicide attacks after he was indicted by a federal grand jury in the United States state of Arizona.

US prosecutors had described him as one of their prime terrorism suspects. A British judge refused to extradite Raissi, however, and he was released from custody. The judge said US authorities had provided no evidence to link the 29-year-old with terrorism.

His lawyer Jules Carey said on Thursday that Raissi had been unjustly detained in a high security prison cell for 23 hours a day for approximately four months.

Carey said his client should never have been arrested on the basis of information provided by the FBI and British police "misused evidence during the course of the extradition proceedings".

He said he had lodged a formal complaint on Raissi's behalf against London's Metropolitan Police with the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

"I am holding out for an explanation, an apology and my life back," said Raissi in a statement.

There was no immediate comment from Scotland Yard.