Wrongly accused 9/11 case pilot can claim damages

[Phil Space]

I hope this guy gets a result. What a nightmare to endure!
( A friend of mine,an ex freighter captain was wrongly locked up in an African prison for six months some years ago. Maggie Thatcher oiled the wheels to get him out.)
From the BBC website


A pilot wrongly accused of training the 9/11 hijackers is entitled to claim damages, the Court of Appeal has ruled.
Judges said evidence suggested police and prosecutors were responsible for "serious defaults" in detaining Lotfi Raissi in jail for nearly five months.

The ruling means the government has to reconsider the 33-year-old's claim for compensation, which it had refused.

Mr Raissi wants an apology and says his claim may run into millions of pounds. The government has said it may appeal.

He first applied for compensation in March 2004 under a Home Office scheme for people deprived of their liberty because of a miscarriage of justice.

They destroyed my life, they destroyed my career - for this I will never, ever forgive them

Speaking after the judgement, Mr Raissi, of west London, said he had suffered a miscarriage of justice, and had now been "completely exonerated".

"I am very glad. I always had faith in British justice.

"Surely I can expect to hear from the home secretary with the long-awaited apology very soon."

He said his wrongful arrest had left him blacklisted as a pilot and unable to work.

"They destroyed my life, they destroyed my career. For this I will never, ever forgive them," he said.

David Blunkett, who was Home Secretary when the Raissi case came to court in 2002, said the director of public prosecutions and the attorney general were responsible for deciding whether to take a case through the courts, not the home secretary.

The Home Office said the court's judgement reversed a decision made by the divisional court in the secretary of state's favour.

He considers that, unless he receives a public acknowledgement that he is not a terrorist, he will be unable to get his life back together again

Lord Justice Hooper

"We are considering the implications and whether or not to appeal," a Home Office spokesman said.

In a statement, the Crown Prosecution Service said: "We will study the issues raised which affect us.

"The judgement reaches no firm conclusions regarding the CPS and we were not formally involved in the proceedings."

Blacklisted

In giving the court's judgment, Lord Justice Hooper said: "The public labelling of the appellant as a terrorist by the authorities in this country, and particularly by the CPS, over a period of many months has had and continues to have, so it is said, a devastating effect on his life and on his health.

"He considers that, unless he receives a public acknowledgement that he is not a terrorist, he will be unable to get his life back together again."

Mr Raissi has said his claim will include compensation for the time spent in prison and the money he paid to train as a pilot, estimated at about £60,000.

He is currently not working and says he is blacklisted from working for any airline. He also intends to claim for compensation for the loss of his career.

Mr Raissi says he also plans to claim for damage to his health and the general effect on his life and his family.

His brother, Mohamed, was also arrested and detained for 42 hours, but won compensation from the Metropolitan Police last year, the level of which has yet to be determined.

Mr Raissi's wife, Sonia, however had her damages claim for £150,000 for being held for five days rejected by the High Court.

Extradition warrant

The Algerian pilot was arrested under the Terrorism Act at his home in the UK soon after the 11 September attacks on New York and Washington in 2001. He was accused of having trained the 19 hijackers.

After seven days he was released but was re-arrested under an extradition warrant issued at the request of the US government.

He remained in Belmarsh Prison for four-and-a-half months until he was granted bail. The Crown Prosecution Service, which was representing the US, had objected to bail.

In April 2002, a judge ruled that there was no evidence connecting him to terrorism.

His appeal case was originally brought against the home secretary, but following the department's split, a decision on any compensation will be made by the Justice Secretary, Jack Straw.

[lexoncd]

This whole case stinks from the beginning. The bottom line is that the security services or who ever took a course of action that has resulted in long term issues for this man that will affect his earning potential for the rest of his life.

You make a mistake you pay....

Shame the same can't be said for those responsible for the jailing of Stefan Kiszko for over 16 years knowing full well he was innocent. Did they loos their pension or were they prosecuted? No. All he got was an award hearing and sadly both he and his mothe died before they received a penny....

[Taildragger67]

I clearly don't know what he was a 'pilot' of, but assuming something commercial, is getting him trained back to where he was (so he could at least look at going back in at a similar level to where he was), something which the BALPA could push? That is, part of his settlement should be the Home Office paying for his re-training.

[ceedee]

It's scandalous that after coping with the months of false imprisonment (and presumably considerable pressure to "confess") and being cleared of all charges, that he's still blacklisted.

Is there really no airline with the gonads to cut through the paranoia and give the poor man a job?

:ugh:

[Taildragger67]

Problem is, Ceedee, that whilst an airline might take him on, he might find himself trying to operate out of a country which won't let him mount his steed... :hmm:

[ceedee]

I take your point completely.
But at least if that happened, he'd have something to challenge rather than being left hanging in no-mans' land.
Surely the first step is to get his licence current and for a company to demonstrate that he *is* actually trustworthy?

Who knows? After being disowned for so many years, maybe he's lost the passion...

[Taildragger67]

I agree - he'll need to carry around the Home Sec's letter saying he's :ok: for quite a while.

No airline is going to take him on until he's got that as they don't want to run the commercial risk of having a plane-load of punters stuck in some hole at 03.00 because the F/O's been extraordinarily rendered. Hence they will only look at him once the Home Sec has been forced to sign the letter confirming he's off the hook.

Companies are there to make $$$/£££ for their shareholders, it's not their responsibility to 'demonstrate trust' if that can come back & bite 'em.

[ceedee]

Good point -- well made!
:D

I'll draft a letter to my MP this evening.

[Nov71]

I understand he was held for 5 months at US insistence, shouldn't Uncle Sam pick up all the bills?

[ribt4t]

The "evidence" was a work of fiction - a fantasy by the FBI - they never produced anything.

As for blacklisted ... I don't know but I imagine getting on the USA's no fly lists makes it tough to be a pilot.

[Culio]

I'm happy for the guy, must have been bad period of time for him :)

[Graybeard]

Since it was the govt. that gave him grief, the govt should hire him as a pilot, in addition to paying compensation.

GB

[Ye Olde Pilot]

Interesting to see no flight deck crew have defended this poor guy.

Do I take it you still feel he is guilty? And if not would you fly with him as a F/O?

[WorkingHard]

Forgive me if this is wrong but as the said fellow is Algerian, would it not be quite simple for him to return home (no doubt after we have paid for his training up to scratch again) and then work for his national airline? It would seem a most equitable solution and one that would get him back into the job he clearly loves. The level of compensation then could be agreed about the time spent in prison.
Is this too simple?

[Ye Olde Pilot]

So as he is Algerian you want him to go 'home' ':hmm:

The silence is deafening.
Do I get the impression that no pilot on here would fly with him?

Give the guy a break.

[WorkingHard]

Not at all YOP I was suggesting a way he may get back to flying soonest

[thinkingpilot]

ye old pilot/moderators
reason u see no flt deck crew defending guy is that lots of posts have beeen removed from this thread . no explanation too. anyone got the guts to give me one. there was
1 a post re the un equal us uk extraditon agreeement
2.a xenophbic post
3. my reply to #2
4 others too
anyone wanna explain/apologise :ugh:

[Stoic]

Not at all YOP I was suggesting a way he may get back to flying soonestBah Humbug!!!

Stoic (flight deck retired)

[Danny]

The other posts were removed because they were nothing to do with the pilot concerned but rants about the failings of the US/UK/Iraq?Al Quaida or whatever. Subsequent replies to those posts were also removed.

Now stop being total Muppets and go and find the same thread over in Jet Blast without the posts removed. There you can join all the other Hamsters who have little else in their lives but to argue, ad nauseam, in never ending circles (Hamster Wheel) their pathetic points of view (as though they make one iota of difference) on the whole mess. :rolleyes:

If you want your comments to stay, then try and keep them related to Lofti Raissi and his career/desire to be an airline pilot. We can all read the judgement and can see that there has been a great injustice. We don't need the personal, in-depth reasoning, one way or the other, about why it happened. It did. He's been exonerated. He now needs to get on with his life.

Anyone else who fails to fathom that we are not going to spend out time on here, firefighting petty little flame wars amongst, xenophobes, academics, fantasists, glitterati or anyone who fails to comprehend the difference between this forum and the Jet Blast forum. :ugh:

[Stoic]

Well said!

Stoic

Flight deck (747 Classic) retired

[cwatters]

The paper version of "The Times" (UK newspaper) today 15th Feb was very interesting reading. It's not often the paper is _this_ critical of the legal system.

Highlights of the judges comments..

"...actions of the Metropolitan Police resulted in false statements to the court..."

"...extradition proceedings were brought for an ulterior motive..."

"...the CPS were responsible for serious defaults.."

The commentary in the paper says....

"...the Metropolitan Police, the Crown Prosecution Service and a parade of home secretaries have persisted with this awful fiction."

and, referring to the Prime Minister....

"...the right thing to do would be to apologise to Mr Raissi today - not in two or 20 years' time."

[interpreter]

According to the BBC report

"Prosecutors sought to extradite him on two counts of falsifying an application for a US pilot's licence, saying these were "holding charges" while they investigated his alleged role in terrorism.

But after five months a district judge gave Mr Raissi conditional bail as no terrorism charges had been brought, and were not likely to be brought in the near future."

I have to say that the quicket way for him to get back flying would be for the US or UK to pay for his re-training costs and then recommend he flies for an Algerian of Middle East Airline where his problems would be of no consequence.

I am afraid this is the price many will have to pay as the consequence of Islamic terrorism. There are no winners - just losers.

[Stoic]

Danny this is drivel:

I have to say that the quicket way for him to get back flying would be for the US or UK to pay for his re-training costs and then recommend he flies for an Algerian of Middle East Airline where his problems would be of no consequence.

I am afraid this is the price many will have to pay as the consequence of Islamic terrorism. There are no winners - just losers.

Please send it to the appropriate forum.

Regards

Stoic

[Mat Finish]

With a bit of luck he'll sue the British Govt. for £millions and retire, buying a King Air or even better a boat..:), both have props, then chill for the rest of his life writing an autobiography along the way.

See.. I've got it all sorted out!

Mat Finish
never a shiny moment..:suspect:

[RoyHudd]

Who did this "airline pilot" fly for? When?

[Bronx]

Why does it matter? :confused:

His chances of pursuing his career as an airline pilot have been badly damaged. There'll always be types who say no smoke without fire and they wont let facts get in the way of their prejudices.

[interpreter]

This is exactly the right forum to discuss the unfortunate episode of the Algerian pilot. The outcome must be for him to be able to pursue his career and the question then arises "How can that be achieved?"

I think he would be likely to have much greater chance of success in a country where his perceived "blemishes" - proved not true - would be ignored. That to my mind is a Muslim country.

You must remember that after the atrocious 9/11 many were suspected and many wrongly accused. We have all done that after a major tragedy.

See this to gather some of the sentiment prevailing at that time:

http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2001/Sep-29-Sat-2001/news/17113504.html

Obviously the sooner he can get back to his trade the better and that is most likely to occur with the airline of a Muslim country.

I feel that there is more to come on this one.

[nojh]

I realy dont know what your talking about?

However if it helps

Iea, Rba, Tva, Air europe (Milan) 75s and 76s ,tng done at Brain crank.

Brain crank, along with an other Co in the East Midlands, taught non flying pilots some dressd in hijabs to fly Boeing Jets .

Aparently this practise earned quite a lot off money for these cash hungry
Airlines and subsidised their sims.

We bona fide airline pilots always got the lousy night time slots, the hijabs got the prime afternoon slots,thats got to be discrimanatory.

After 9/11 I told Sb Leics police who "Trolled through Brain cranks sim records and found "a virtual treasure trove of astonishingly valuable information"!

Time guess? I give you a clue.

He not only made a mess of painting the tails bad decision/He also made a mess of allowing the training of non flying hijabs to fly the sims ,another bad decision.
Third bad decision employing Qick fit fitters in the A/C maintanence dept.I quote a senior Licenced Eng who was working on our plane there is going to be an accident people are going to get killed I just hope I havent signed the plane out these people (quick fit fitters) are a menace thank goodness I retire in six months time.I am sorry we have wrecked your plane,it was a pleasure to work on a new B767,(EI-CLS), and not the rust buckets the we have ,eng was not a happy bunny.

Only funny thing that occurred in our enforced 48 hr stay at LHR,was an airbus winglet and approx half a metre of wing,lying on the hanger floor,and some wit had written in broad black felt tip AOG /SPARES.return to owner ,Yes the worlds favourite Airline had clipped another carriers airbus whilst taxying and had successfully amputated the winglet. AMA DINNA JACKET would have been proud of the "operation"

Toodle Pip
NOJH.

[Phil Space]

Mr Raissi has committed no offence anywhere on this planet.
I hope whatever compensation he gets (and deserves) he continues his ambition to be a commercial pilot.
Yet despite a clean bill of health there are some on here that suggest he works on a 'Muslim' airline or from a 'Muslim" country. How would you like to start defining what airline has what religious alliance. That would be very dangerous territory.
Some are saying ...you take the money and we never want to hear from you again. Put yourself in his shoes and imagine what he has been through.

Both of my parents were from the Irish Republic and I'm old enough to remember when that was a black mark for employment in certain sectors of society.

The day when this sort of political or religious thinking is an influence on flight crew will be a sad day for all decent people.

[ceedee]

There's a moving interview with Mr Raissi in today's Observer (http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/feb/17/uksecurity.law) that may help some folk to understand better what he's been through.

A couple of highlights for those too busy:-
To understand how damaging the accusations were against Raissi, it is necessary to understand his background. 'My family back home in Algeria have been fighting terrorism for the past 15 years,' he said. 'My uncle is chief of an anti-terrorist branch. We abhor terrorism in any shape or form in our family. This is very damaging for us.'

In bringing his claim for compensation, Raissi argues that he was arrested chiefly because he was Algerian, Muslim and Arab, an airline pilot - someone who effectively ticked the boxes of an identikit terrorist.
'I was arrested because of my profile,' he said. 'Why didn't they arrest the instructors who actually trained the terrorists?'

Ultimately, American officials were forced to make a provisional request for his extradition on the grounds that he had lied on his pilot's licence by not revealing he had undergone knee surgery, an allegation that in itself was later proved false.

'I'm not working, I'm blacklisted from all airline jobs. I'm framed as a terrorist.'
Even now, despite being completely exonerated, he is banned from flying anywhere but Algeria because his American extradition warrant is still outstanding.
'We hope Raissi's complete exoneration will mean the US authorities will withdraw the warrant as a matter of urgency,' said Jules Carey, his lawyer from Tuckers solicitors.

[nojh]

Why ? no one gave me a break in my aviation carreer,why give him one!

[nojh]

No offence anywhere on the planet:

How would you know that? to be sure to be sure, have you got a crystal ball,can you read cups and tell fortunes,maybe you read palms as well between sectors. Maybe you have your own private leprechaun. Youl be telling me next statues cry real tears ooch you havenae changed a bit still beleave in fairies and four leafed clovers? The blarney remains despite the euro,as a southern Irish A/c eng,said weve been dragged by the hair screaming and protesting into the 19th century.

No offence anywhere on the planet Ah wouldnae put a punt onit!

However if you are ever in Shannon in Dirty Nellies I will have beer with you ,and you can pay.

[interpreter]

CEEDEE. I admire your wish to defend this man's airline future but you have to live in the real world. Some will not be so generous spirited - and did I not hear that the Government are considering whether to appeal or not? Is it all over yet? Perhaps not.

[mr Q]

the full judgment can be found here
http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWCA/Civ/2008/72.html
Sad Sad reading and details a series of deceptions put forward on behalf of the US authorities by the CPS in various hearings.
The US Authorities simply wanted this man in US custody in the US for questioning and aided and abetted by the British might have succeeded on false and mistaken facts in having him extradited had it not been for the Judiciary in UK
Holding Charges take on a new meaning ....
Now HIs battle for compensation continues.

[ceedee]

Give the Guy a break.
Why ? no one gave me a break in my aviation carreer,why give him one!
Hmmmm. Tricky question....
1) Because he's being arbitrarily prevented from pursuing his career through no fault of his own;
2) Because his personal life has been damn-near wrecked by the consequence of overbearing state power;
3) Because I hoped that fellow pilots, pilots' professional organisations, airlines and aviation licensing authorities might be able to offer support to help him return to some kind of normality.

Why should he get the break and not you?
1) Because he's been held in terrible conditions in a high-security prison for four months for no good reason and you haven't;
2) Because leaving a fellow pilot to 'work it out' on their own is small-minded and selfish (and why I among thousands wrote letters supporting the GOL pilots' quasi-judicial arrest in Brazil: just like him, they were unjustly accused and falsely detained, though admittedly in far more comfortable circumstances than Mr Raissi);
3) Because letting the fiasco roll on diminishes our country's reputation for fairness and respect for human rights?

Why should you support Mr Raissi?
Because it's about time you did something that would make your mother proud of you.
:*

[Graybeard]

I still think in all fairness he should be employed as a pilot for the British Govt., maybe the Royal fleet. Think about it..

GB

[Stoic]

From The Independent, 28 February, 2008:

The Government is to appeal against a ruling which cleared the way for a pilot wrongly accused of training the 11 September highjackers to claim compensation. This month the Court of Appeal said Lofti Raissi, an Algerian, had been subject to an "abuse of process" and overturned a previous decision. A Ministry of Justice spokesman said the appeal was based on a point of law and sought to "settle the matter" after different rulings from the High Court and Court of Appeal.Ministry of Justice ?

Stoic

[Chris Scott]

Yes, another of our ancient, and internationally admired, institutions that has been "reformed" by this Administration. Perhaps "re-formed" would be a more appropriate expression.

[Re-Heat]

Hardly - gov department organisation has little "history" as such - while the name existed since the 1700s, responsibilities are moved around very rapidly in our non-constitutional system - see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_Office.

Beside the point however. I hope the chap in question wins on principle of the arbitrary nature of the process in which he was caught up. Should teach one or two ministers about the rule of law, which can never be disregarded, even in extremis.

[Sallyann1234]

It's disgraceful and a scar on our 'justice' system.

This guy was locked up and his career destroyed, at the request of a foreign government and without a shred of evidence against him.

Our government should apologise and compensate him, and then demand a refund from the government who requested his detention.

PS. the fact that he was a pilot is irrelevant.

[interpreter]

Certainly Sallyann this guy appears to deserve better than is being suggested at the moment but I have to ask do we really know the whole truth? Unfortunately the lawyers on both sides now have it. And you know what they get up to to protect the interest of their client! I am afraid the parties will be seeking hard to find just cause as to why he should be fully compensated and contrarily why he should not - or at least modestly. Nasty business unless he genuinely is absolutely clean on all the records he submitted for his licence etc. etc. Nobody wins here. Sad but a fact of life.

Justice, I am afraid is relative.

[Plod]

I think a bit of clarification is required here. As far as I am aware this chap was a student at Four Forces at the time he was arrested and was not a line pilot with any airline. A question to consider is how many of the students with this company in 2001 have managed to gain employment? There certainly isn't any guarantees of employment in this world, Would he have been called for interview, would he have passed an interview or sim assessment?

I agree the poor chap has had a very hard time but these issues will need to be considered in any compensation claim.

As a side note Four Forces went bust very soon after 9/11, he may well have ended up like a lot of us. Unable to afford to finish training due to the company taking his money into liquidation. I believe no students got a penny back on the money they had paid.

[Sallyann1234]

interpreter
I think you are suggesting 'no smoke without fire'. If there is any evidence against him it would most certainly have been brought up in court or leaked to the papers in order to weaken his case. In the absence of even a rumour one can only assume that he is totally innocent.

plod
You make a valid point about his career prospects, and the court must make a judgement about his chances of getting a lucrative job. His first bid seems to be for 'millions' and he will certainly have to compromise.

[poss]

Yes Plod sounds as though that is the case.
Whilst it would seem he isn't an airline pilot, from what we know, been put into prison and for his future career to be ruined is certainly a valid reason for giving the bloke some compensation. If he is continuously blacklisted by all airliners then the money he has put in, all the hardwork has been for nothing and his dream of flying commercially is ruined.
Yes he may well have not flown for an airline but at the minute a possible future where he is flying for a living does not exist.

[skridlov]

Some of the contributions here are astonishing. The question is not whether Mr. Raissi is not, could not have become, or indeed has any likelihood of ever working as a professional pilot, it is what compensation he should receive for an outrageous injustice. It should be recalled that if at the time he was originally arrested the current legislation was in force, where any request for extradition by the US government is routinely implemented without demur, he would currently be residing in Gitmo - probably after spending a few months undergoing "robust interrogation" (aka torture) somewhere discreet. This would have certainly brought him into contact with some genuine jihadi scumb@gs as well as some of the other poor s0ds who have ended up there as a result of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, as we now know only too well. What an experience like that could do to someone innocent of these accusations it isn't hard to imagine.
I detect the implication in many of these posts that there is something still slightly "tainted" about Mr. Raissi. How likely is it that if there was, that he would have been allowed to walk away (eventually)? None, I would suggest. I hope he is appropriately compensated for the frightening incompetence he has been subjected to. His chances of getting a job as a pilot have not been enhanced by these events, to put it mildly. But at least he's still alive, which is more than can be said for Jean Charles de Menezes.

[ceedee]

Thank you, skridlov, for your succinct post.

Let's not forget that Mr Raissi has always declared that his primary aim is to be able to return to flying rather than be awarded compensation for being unjustly excluded.

[interpreter]

Sallyann. No I am not suggesting that there is no smoke without fire but with the lawyers involved now anybody - on either side - who is not like "Caesar's wife" is going to find any minor misdemeanour dragged out into the open.

Unfortuntely it would best if it could all be over quickly but I am afraid now it will be drawn out and all the time he might have difficulty finding a post.

[Captain_djaffar]

It was at USA's insistance innit?
Sue the american government too!
And don't be too greedy,they're in recession.

The best next thing after compensation for that pilot to do,get a bus TR if not current on none,try any gulf airline and settle there if employed.

[ceedee]

And they've dragged his compensation case out for another two years...

From the Guardian: Court sets deadline for Straw to settle case of 9/11 suspect Lotfi Raissi (http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/apr/01/lotfi-raissi-jack-straw-case)
The justice secretary, Jack Straw, was ordered by a court yesterday to announce whether the government accepts responsibility for one of the UK's longest-standing miscarriages of justice.

The court of appeal gave Straw 28 days to decide whether Lotfi Raissi, a pilot wrongly accused of involvement in the 9/11 terrorist attacks, is entitled to compensation from the government.

The decision on whether to pay damages to Raissi, who spent almost four months in a high-security prison after the 2001 attacks in New York and Washington DC, had been subject to an "inordinate delay". It was noted that Straw accepted the delay had been "deeply regrettable".

Raissi, an Algerian living in the UK, was the first person to be arrested after the 9/11 attacks. Raissi, 27, was accused of being the "lead" instructor of the 9/11 hijackers, and was held in Belmarsh high security prison awaiting extradition to the US.

Ministers were forced to consider his claim for damages after a court of appeal ruling last year found there was evidence Scotland Yard and the Crown Prosecution Service had circumvented "the rule of English law" in what judges believed would amount to a serious abuse of process.

Raissi, 35, still lives in the UK but says he has been unable to rebuild his life.

The Guardian last year obtained classified documents produced by the FBI and anti-terrorist officials in the UK that showed British prosecutors failed to disclose crucial evidence to the courts.

Despite a plea from the FBI not to arrest Raissi, anti-terrorist officers from the Metropolitan police stormed his house in Berkshire on 21 September 2001.

Rather than release Raissi when it emerged there was insufficient evidence to charge him, law enforcement officials in the UK colluded with the FBI to obtain a warrant for his extradition. The warrant was requested on charges relating to an allegation that he failed to disclose his knee surgery in a pilot application. In court, the CPS said the pilot application allegations were mere "holding charges".

The Ministry of Justice said: "We explained to the court how the ministry had dealt with the case, and the reasons for this, and our regret over the delay.

"The justice secretary will now make a decision on Mr Raissi's application as quickly as possible."

[captplaystation]

Kinda makes one ashamed to hold British nationality, lucky for him he wasn't rushing to catch a tube train when they decided to arrest him.
In between that trigger happy episode, and this total lack of fair play, we are becoming less and less "British" and reacting more and more like that "other" nation.
Shame really.
It will be next to impossible given the passage of time , and the current job situation, for the guy to get back where he was, even more reason that he should receive "substantial" compensation, but I guess that will be another 8and a half years down the line :mad:

[Chris Scott]

Quote:
Raissi, 35, still lives in the UK but says he has been unable to rebuild his life.

My first reaction: "Get a grip! Aren't you just milking it, to screw as much compensation out of the system as possible?"

On second thoughts: "If Peter Burkill's struggling to get pilot employment, what chance has this guy got?"

"9/11" was a heinous act directed at our freedom, and we must not let the terrorists win. But by our over-reaction, perhaps, they already have?

[paidworker]

To a degree its a mute point what his chances of employment are now , if you assume he was determined from just before his arrest onwards to get a job he may well have done so . That chance he may have had is gone now and for that he needs to be compensated. The BA Captain of Heathrow fame also casts a very low probability that even with a letter saying hes not a terrorist he will get a job I mean think of the interview... " Um i was locked up for months and finally after 8 years i managed to get them to admit i wasnt a terrorist " ... only in Utopia would an airline touch such an application..

However to the poster suggesting he " get a grip ".. think about it a moment .. It is not the case that he was found "not guilty" ( charges were dismissed ) but appears quite likely that the twats in charge of his case at the CPS knew they may be on dodge ground and covered it up and kept him in Jail. IF that is the case and just for that alone ( imagine you were in his shoes ) he is entitled to compensation. Officials got it very wrong ( CPS / Home office ) and destroyed the mans life it appears.. knee surgery indeed..:(

[Greystoke999]

Some times you just have to accept the situation. In law enforcement you can often get information that raises more than mere suspicion on a person. The problem is that you sometimes cannot use the information in court or even mention it because other people may be at risk.

It is a sad fact that this guy was arrested, put in prison and his career is in tatters. But he is alive and so are many other people, including pilots, who fly every day. Difficult decisions have to be made and they will affect others to varying degrees. Flying is still a compromise.

There may and may not be susbstance behind the claims against him but the truth is unlikely to ever be known, and for very good reason.

This is why we have terrorists. They play on these difficult situations and all the media hype.

There is no easy answer to this. If he fights it he is wrong, if he wins it he is wrong. He is just another victim of terrorism and should look on the bright side - he is alive and has his health, now he needs to move on.

[Dan Dare]

Looks like Lofti has been exhonorated Reuters (http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE63M3M020100423)

No winners here. One lost career and decade of nightmare. One HUGE bill to me the taxpayer.

Quite unimpressed that extradition could be tried on the basis of medical records too.