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London Court Told Pilot Trained Plane Hijackers
LONDON, Sept 28 (News Agencies) - An Algerian pilot faces extradition to the United States after prosecutors in London claimed Friday that he was an instructor for four of the hijackers involved in devastating attacks on New York and Washington.
Lotfi Raissi, 27, who denies any involvement in the September 11th attacks, was remanded in custody until October 5th on an international arrest warrant originating in the United States.
If confirmed, the allegation would be the first direct link between the attacks and a suspect held in Europe.
"We are looking at conspiracy to murder charges in the future," prosecutor Arvinda Sambir told the brief hearing at Bow Street magistrates' court, central London.
"We believe he was in the background to facilitate and train the pilots. We say he was an instructor of some of the pilots responsible for the hijacking."
She said Raissi was particularly linked to the hijacker who steered a passenger jet into the Pentagon building just outside Washington.
Defense lawyer Richard Egan said Raissi "adamantly denies any involvement in the recent appalling tragedies and he is confident he will be absolved."
More than 6,000 people are dead or missing after hijackers flew two planes into the World Trade Center in New York and a third into the Pentagon. A fourth hijacked plane crashed in rural Pennsylvania.
The United States has named Osama bin Laden, a Saudi-born dissident living in Afghanistan, as the chief suspect.
Prosecutors allege that Raissi made frequent trips to the United States in June and July this year.
Sambir told the hearing that Raissi "was a lead instructor of four of the pilots that were responsible for the hijackings. The one that we are concerned about is the one that went into the Pentagon."
On June 23rd, Raissi visited Las Vegas with his wife, then flew to Arizona with the Pentagon pilot, she said, adding that there was video evidence for the trip.
"We say he was there to ensure that pilots were capable and trained for this purpose," Sambir said.
Raissi was first arrested a week ago near London on British anti-terrorist legislation, under which, after obtaining extensions, detectives were able to question him for the maximum seven days.
He was then re-arrested, this time on the international arrest warrant, on the grounds that he had fraudulently obtained his pilot's license by failing to reveal a previous conviction for theft, and having had knee surgery.
Sambir said that when Raissi, who had started training for a U.S. commercial pilot's license in 1997, was arrested, logbooks were found in his house with crucial dates missing.
British police say they have received more than 100 FBI requests to follow up leads including tracing suspects and witnesses, and FBI agents were working in London.
Raissi was first arrested along with three other suspects as part of the worldwide probe into the attacks in New York and Washington.
Student Abu Imard, 44, arrested last week in Birmingham, central England, was released Friday after a week of questioning.
A Scotland Yard spokeswoman said he would face no charges and was not on police bail.
The other two - Raissi's French-born wife Sonia, 25, and his 29-year-old brother, Mohamed Raissi, of west London - have already been released without charge.
Raissi is one of at least 20 suspects arrested across Europe as part of a coordinated effort to crack down on cells of what may be a network of terror stretching across the continent and beyond.
Meanwhile, three men arrested earlier this week in Leicester, central England, continue to be questioned by police over possible links to planned attacks on U.S. interests in Europe.
David Veness, head of the special operations division at Scotland Yard, said there remained a "significant level of threat" from international terrorism and warned there could be further terrorist "spectaculars".
He said: "What we feel is that there could be follow-up attacks although we have no specific information of specific attacks aimed at the U.K."
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