Locked up for five months on a belief ... but no evidence
Discussion
The sorry tale of Lotfi Raissi is back in the news.
The pilot instructor spent five months in London's Belmarsh prison after (as said at the time) the FBI asked for him to be arrested shortly after the 11 September attacks. Mr Raissi's high-profile arrest and incarceration had destroyed his life and left him with no career prospects.
Algerian-born Mr Raissi was released from Belmarsh and in April 2002 all charges against him were dropped after a British court said there was no evidence to back up the US request that he be extradited.
Mr Raissi said "I have no prospect of a job, no prospect of a career. I am not OK. My life has been destroyed."
A Home Office spokesman said in a statement Mr Raissi had been arrested in the UK in 2001 "pursuant to an extradition request from the United States. Underlying the case was a belief by US authorities that Mr Raissi may have been involved in the training of the 9/11 hijackers. No supporting evidence of such serious conduct was submitted in support of the extradition request."
The FBI has denied that it made any request for Mr Raissi to be arrested, only that he be watched.
Now read those statements very carefully. "A belief that Mr Raissi may have been involved ...". "No supporting evidence ... was submitted."
Yet on the basis of someone's belief and without evidence, Mr Raissi was arrested and spent five months locked up. In Britain!
Now his release was a judicial decision, but clearly no evidence was submitted in those five months to convince a judge that there was any case to answer.
I meet many people (some on here) who think that "because I'm not a terrorist, I'm safe from false arrest." I see many people daily who causually fiddle in their rucksacks from which wires protrude. They give no thought to the risk that they could be shot (there have been several Kratos operations in the weeks since Stockwell that have come close to shooting innocent people).
Now that's how it should be. But sadly, it's no longer that way. You are at increasing risk of false arrest, prolonged detention and possible "death by police". Sorry.
Streaky
PS - Mr Raissi is trying to get compensation, but the HO is saying it's a US matter and teh FBI is saying it's a UK matter - S
The pilot instructor spent five months in London's Belmarsh prison after (as said at the time) the FBI asked for him to be arrested shortly after the 11 September attacks. Mr Raissi's high-profile arrest and incarceration had destroyed his life and left him with no career prospects.
Algerian-born Mr Raissi was released from Belmarsh and in April 2002 all charges against him were dropped after a British court said there was no evidence to back up the US request that he be extradited.
Mr Raissi said "I have no prospect of a job, no prospect of a career. I am not OK. My life has been destroyed."
A Home Office spokesman said in a statement Mr Raissi had been arrested in the UK in 2001 "pursuant to an extradition request from the United States. Underlying the case was a belief by US authorities that Mr Raissi may have been involved in the training of the 9/11 hijackers. No supporting evidence of such serious conduct was submitted in support of the extradition request."
The FBI has denied that it made any request for Mr Raissi to be arrested, only that he be watched.
Now read those statements very carefully. "A belief that Mr Raissi may have been involved ...". "No supporting evidence ... was submitted."
Yet on the basis of someone's belief and without evidence, Mr Raissi was arrested and spent five months locked up. In Britain!
Now his release was a judicial decision, but clearly no evidence was submitted in those five months to convince a judge that there was any case to answer.
I meet many people (some on here) who think that "because I'm not a terrorist, I'm safe from false arrest." I see many people daily who causually fiddle in their rucksacks from which wires protrude. They give no thought to the risk that they could be shot (there have been several Kratos operations in the weeks since Stockwell that have come close to shooting innocent people).
Now that's how it should be. But sadly, it's no longer that way. You are at increasing risk of false arrest, prolonged detention and possible "death by police". Sorry.
Streaky
PS - Mr Raissi is trying to get compensation, but the HO is saying it's a US matter and teh FBI is saying it's a UK matter - S
whats the issue, but it's done on behalf americans so is perfectly acceptable behavior.
Same rules apply to Geneva convention etc they are exempt didn't you know
Parade a US soldier through streets bagdad and you're an evil dictator, but it's quite allright for thep to publish video of saddam when captured
Same rules apply to Geneva convention etc they are exempt didn't you know
Parade a US soldier through streets bagdad and you're an evil dictator, but it's quite allright for thep to publish video of saddam when captured
james_j said:
The people who regurgitate "...if you've got nothing to hide, you've got nothing to fear..." should be considering carefully their simplistic thinking...
These are the same people who think it's OK to hand their personal freedom to the authorities on a plate because 'I'm not a terrorist so it would never happen to me.'
Bur what you fail to realise is that he might have been guilty and if we lock up everyone who might be guilty then I will be able to sleep safe at night. Me and everyone else who can't be guilty, both of us. Or maybe I might be guilty too, no!!!!!!
PS Yes I have been drinking, so at least I have an excuse for writing nonsense.
>> Edited by david_s on Saturday 24th December 20:44
PS Yes I have been drinking, so at least I have an excuse for writing nonsense.
>> Edited by david_s on Saturday 24th December 20:44
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