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| Pilot compensation appeal refused | Pilot compensation appeal refused |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| The government has been refused the right to appeal to the House of Lords over a damages claim by a pilot wrongly accused of training the 9/11 hijackers. | The government has been refused the right to appeal to the House of Lords over a damages claim by a pilot wrongly accused of training the 9/11 hijackers. |
| In February, the Court of Appeal said there were serious flaws in the decision to detain Lotfi Raissi in prison for nearly five months. | In February, the Court of Appeal said there were serious flaws in the decision to detain Lotfi Raissi in prison for nearly five months. |
| This ruling meant the government had to reconsider Mr Raissi's claim for compensation, which it had refused. | This ruling meant the government had to reconsider Mr Raissi's claim for compensation, which it had refused. |
| The Algerian pilot was held under the Terrorism Act at his UK home in 2001. | The Algerian pilot was held under the Terrorism Act at his UK home in 2001. |
| He was detained under an extradition warrant issued at the request of the US government, which accused him of having trained the 19 hijackers. | |
| Demand for apology | |
| Mr Raissi, from west London, remained in Belmarsh Prison for four-and-a-half months until he was granted bail. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), which was representing the US, had objected to bail. | |
| Court of Appeal judges found minor charges unconnected with terrorism were used to keep Mr Raissi in custody and their judgement was highly critical of the Metropolitan Police and the CPS. | |
| The minister of justice has no more appeals and no more excuses Lotfi Raissi | |
| In a statement, Mr Raissi called for a "long awaited apology" from justice secretary Jack Straw. | |
| "The minister of justice has no more appeals and no more excuses," he said. | |
| "The courts have held that I was the victim of a miscarriage of justice and that the police and CPS played a part in this." | |
| His solicitor Jules Carey said the minister of justice would now have to reconsider Mr Raissi's application for compensation for the ordeal he had suffered. | |
| "Given the clear opinions expressed by the Court of Appeal, we would expect the minister of justice to finally grant the application for compensation," he said. | |
| Mr Raissi has said his compensation claim may run into millions of pounds. |