- An Algerian pilot falsely accused by America of training
the 11 September hijackers is expected to win an estimated five-figure
damages payout from The Mail on Sunday in a settlement to be agreed in
the High Court today.
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- Lotfi Raissi, 29, was arrested within days of the terrorist
attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon.
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- He spent five months in Belmarsh prison in south east
London and was told it was likely he would be charged with conspiracy to
murder and could face the death penalty in the US.
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- On 30 September 2001, The Mail on Sunday published an
article accusing Mr Raissi of stealing the identity of a 74-year-old grandmother
who had died four years earlier. The story said he had used her social
security number to help set up a new identity in America.
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- Since his release, Mr Raissi, who lives in London with
his wife - a French Catholic - has been unable to continue his career as
a pilot.
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- Associated Newspapers, the publisher of The Mail on Sunday,
is understood to have agreed to pay Mr Raissi substantial damages and legal
costs, as well as offer an apology. A statement is expected to be read
out in court today.
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- Mr Raissi has already launched legal action against the
FBI and the Department of Justice for £13m for false imprisonment
and malicious prosecution. He is expected to make similar claims against
the Crown Prosecution Service and the police in this country.
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- Mr Raissi, the first person to be arrested after the
11 September attacks, said he was assaulted and verbally abused while in
prison. He has always argued that the US planned to make him a scapegoat
because he was a Muslim pilot.
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- Since his release, he has been treated by a psychiatrist.
"I can't fly aeroplanes anymore. I've been blacklisted from all airlines,"
he told the BBC. Had an apology over his treatment been given, he would
not be resorting to legal action, he said.
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- © 2003 Independent Digital (UK) Ltd
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- http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/legal/story.jsp?story=450393
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