The Guvnor
23rd Sep 2001, 16:18
From today's Sunday Times:
Flying school pupil arrested by
armed police near Heathrow
AN Algerian who was on a flight training course in Britain has been arrested by armed police investigating the terrorist attacks in America.
Lotfi Raissi, 27, who lives near Slough, Berkshire, only two miles from Heathrow airport, was one of four people arrested by anti-terrorism officers on Friday. He has been in Britain for nine months and is named on an FBI "watch list" of more than 200 people whom investigators
want to interview in connection with the attack.
Four Forces Aviation, a flying school in Poyle, Berkshire, confirmed that Raissi had been taking flying lessons there for some time.
His arrest came 10 days after the American attacks in which Islamic hijackers, who had trained at flying schools in America, flew jets into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
Raissi's ground-floor flat in a village about two miles from Heathrow was raided by police at 3am on Friday. A team of five forensic officers were yesterday searching the two-bedroom home.
Raissi has certificates to fly multi-engined and single-engined jets. He is listed on the FBI list as living at an address in Arizona but denied last week that he had ever been to the United States.
When contacted on Wednesday about his inclusion on the watch list, he said he could not think of any reason why American agents should want to talk to him.
"It's gone crazy," he said. "I'm an airline pilot in Algeria, but over here I'm just a student. I've been living here for nine months training for my European conversion. I've a relative in America who is training as a pilot and he has been interviewed by the
FBI. He knows no more about it than you or I."
An executive at Four Forces Aviation said Raissi had wanted a licence to fly in Europe and had embarked on a theory-based course lasting eight to 12 months. "He told me he trained in America. He had a pilot's licence from the US. He did theory exams for the European licence," said the executive.
Raissi left the course for two months in the spring of this year, saying he was "going back home for a while". The executive said: "He was talking about having a flying job at home", and described Raissi as "a nice guy, always smiling and chatting, totally westernised".
Police also detained his 29-year-old brother, Mohammed Raissi. He was released from Paddington Green police station last night without charge.
Lotfi Raissi's 25-year-old French wife, Sonia, was also arrested at the couple's Berkshire home.
A fourth man in his late forties was arrested at a house in the Highgate area of Birmingham on Friday night. A silver 5-series BMW was also seized by police. They are being held under the Terrorism Act.
Raissi's uncle, Kamel Raissi, said last night that the family had "absolutely no connection with terrorism". Indeed, he claimed that his brother worked in counter-terrorism for the Algerian government.
Although Lotfi Raissi said last week that he had never been to Arizona, his uncle said that he thought his nephew had been on a flight simulation training course in Phoenix. Kamel said he believed that may have aroused the suspicions of police. He thought the training had been paid for by Lotfi's mother.
He said Lotfi had done training on the simulator "two months ago" as part of his pilot training and had wanted to become a pilot since childhood.
"He is very brainy and has always wanted to do this. He was very close to getting his European pilot's licence. Now what will his chances be? We want to take legal action about this."
Speaking from his home in Hounslow, Kamel said it was ridiculous to suggest that the three people arrested had any connection with terrorism. "We don't go to Afghanistan, my
brother is part of the counter-terrorism squad in Algeria. My father was in the foreign office in Algeria," he said.
"If they want to arrest terrorists, they should go to Finsbury Park. We have got a clean record. Our whole family have never been questioned by the police even."
Mohammed Raissi is believed to have once worked as a cleaner at Heathrow airport. Sonia is understood to have worked at the Air France customer services desk there.
Kamel suggested that the police had waited for questions to be faxed from the FBI in the United States before questioning his nephews.
The men were stripped and made to wear white boiler suits, he said. Officers took their clothes away for forensic testing. "The police have taken everything. All his flight training books," he said.
At least 50 people have been arrested worldwide in connection with the attacks on September 11. One of the suspects accused of a key role in the American attacks was a member of a British computer network that spread propaganda to recruit jihad fighters to Osama Bin Laden's cause.
Said Bahaji, 26, a former flatmate of one of the hijackers, Mohammed Atta, was last week named in Hamburg as the suspected "logistics officer" of the operation. A warrant has been issued for his arrest for "membership of a terrorist organisation and the multiple murder charges of at least 5,000 people".
Bahaji was on the subscription list of Azzam Publications, a London website.
Flying school pupil arrested by
armed police near Heathrow
AN Algerian who was on a flight training course in Britain has been arrested by armed police investigating the terrorist attacks in America.
Lotfi Raissi, 27, who lives near Slough, Berkshire, only two miles from Heathrow airport, was one of four people arrested by anti-terrorism officers on Friday. He has been in Britain for nine months and is named on an FBI "watch list" of more than 200 people whom investigators
want to interview in connection with the attack.
Four Forces Aviation, a flying school in Poyle, Berkshire, confirmed that Raissi had been taking flying lessons there for some time.
His arrest came 10 days after the American attacks in which Islamic hijackers, who had trained at flying schools in America, flew jets into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
Raissi's ground-floor flat in a village about two miles from Heathrow was raided by police at 3am on Friday. A team of five forensic officers were yesterday searching the two-bedroom home.
Raissi has certificates to fly multi-engined and single-engined jets. He is listed on the FBI list as living at an address in Arizona but denied last week that he had ever been to the United States.
When contacted on Wednesday about his inclusion on the watch list, he said he could not think of any reason why American agents should want to talk to him.
"It's gone crazy," he said. "I'm an airline pilot in Algeria, but over here I'm just a student. I've been living here for nine months training for my European conversion. I've a relative in America who is training as a pilot and he has been interviewed by the
FBI. He knows no more about it than you or I."
An executive at Four Forces Aviation said Raissi had wanted a licence to fly in Europe and had embarked on a theory-based course lasting eight to 12 months. "He told me he trained in America. He had a pilot's licence from the US. He did theory exams for the European licence," said the executive.
Raissi left the course for two months in the spring of this year, saying he was "going back home for a while". The executive said: "He was talking about having a flying job at home", and described Raissi as "a nice guy, always smiling and chatting, totally westernised".
Police also detained his 29-year-old brother, Mohammed Raissi. He was released from Paddington Green police station last night without charge.
Lotfi Raissi's 25-year-old French wife, Sonia, was also arrested at the couple's Berkshire home.
A fourth man in his late forties was arrested at a house in the Highgate area of Birmingham on Friday night. A silver 5-series BMW was also seized by police. They are being held under the Terrorism Act.
Raissi's uncle, Kamel Raissi, said last night that the family had "absolutely no connection with terrorism". Indeed, he claimed that his brother worked in counter-terrorism for the Algerian government.
Although Lotfi Raissi said last week that he had never been to Arizona, his uncle said that he thought his nephew had been on a flight simulation training course in Phoenix. Kamel said he believed that may have aroused the suspicions of police. He thought the training had been paid for by Lotfi's mother.
He said Lotfi had done training on the simulator "two months ago" as part of his pilot training and had wanted to become a pilot since childhood.
"He is very brainy and has always wanted to do this. He was very close to getting his European pilot's licence. Now what will his chances be? We want to take legal action about this."
Speaking from his home in Hounslow, Kamel said it was ridiculous to suggest that the three people arrested had any connection with terrorism. "We don't go to Afghanistan, my
brother is part of the counter-terrorism squad in Algeria. My father was in the foreign office in Algeria," he said.
"If they want to arrest terrorists, they should go to Finsbury Park. We have got a clean record. Our whole family have never been questioned by the police even."
Mohammed Raissi is believed to have once worked as a cleaner at Heathrow airport. Sonia is understood to have worked at the Air France customer services desk there.
Kamel suggested that the police had waited for questions to be faxed from the FBI in the United States before questioning his nephews.
The men were stripped and made to wear white boiler suits, he said. Officers took their clothes away for forensic testing. "The police have taken everything. All his flight training books," he said.
At least 50 people have been arrested worldwide in connection with the attacks on September 11. One of the suspects accused of a key role in the American attacks was a member of a British computer network that spread propaganda to recruit jihad fighters to Osama Bin Laden's cause.
Said Bahaji, 26, a former flatmate of one of the hijackers, Mohammed Atta, was last week named in Hamburg as the suspected "logistics officer" of the operation. A warrant has been issued for his arrest for "membership of a terrorist organisation and the multiple murder charges of at least 5,000 people".
Bahaji was on the subscription list of Azzam Publications, a London website.