Pilot must wait over compensation

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A pilot who spent months in jail after being wrongly accused of training the 9/11 hijackers must wait to learn if he has won his compensation claim.

Lotfi Raissi, 32, was detained for nearly five months at London's Belmarsh prison after being arrested following the 2001 attacks in the United States.

He is challenging the government's decision to rule him ineligible for a Home Office compensation scheme.

Two High Court judges will give their decision in the next few weeks.

Lotfi Raissi, a 32-year old Algerian, was never charged with any offence after his arrest.

'Psychiatric injury'

His lawyer, Edward Fitzgerald QC, said there was "not a shred of evidence" against him and the refusal of bail amounted to wrongful detention.

Mr Fitzgerald previously told the High Court that Mr Raissi was held "without any justification on the basis of a US extradition request".

His client claims the detention damaged his reputation, lost him his liberty and caused him distress and psychiatric injury.

Mr Raissi, from Chiswick, west London, was living at Colnbrook, Berkshire, near Heathrow Airport, when officers from the Metropolitan Police arrested him 10 days after the 11 September attacks.

'Exceptional case'

He was released on bail in February 2002, and, two months later, a judge declared there was no evidence linking him to the attacks.

Government lawyers have argued that the compensation scheme in question - intended for people who have suffered miscarriages of justice - did not apply to extradition cases.

Mr Khawar Qureshi, appearing for the Home Secretary, also argued that the pilot could not claim a payment as an "exceptional case" because he had never been fully exonerated.

Though a judge in Britain had found there was no offence for which he could be extradited, that did not amount to exoneration.

The judge's view would not necessarily prevent the US authorities commencing a prosecution "if Mr Raissi were to set foot in America".

After a two-day hearing, Lord Justice Auld, sitting with Mr Justice Wilkie, reserved judgment in the case.