Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: fd ski on February 12, 2002, 01:27:30 PM
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From
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,1-206372,00.html
Pilot bailed after US terror charge failure
by adam fresco
Lofti Raissi, accused by America of being the key flight instructor of four of the September 11 hijackers, was granted bail today after the US Government failed to bring terrorist charges against him.
Algerian-born Mr Raissi, 27, has been held at top security Belmarsh prison for five months on charges that he lied on a form for a pilot’s licence by failing to declare his knee surgery and a conviction for theft when he was 17.
Today, as armed police patrolled around Belmarsh Magistrates court, East London, both inside and out, District Judge Timothy Workman said that there was “no likelihood of terrorist charges being preferred against Mr Raissi in the near future”.
Mr Raissi’s French wife Sonia, speaking after the Judge’s decision, said that she believed justice had been done. She said: “From the beginning we said Lotfi has nothing to do with all this. We’ve said it again and again but at last, justice has been done.
“We’ve been waiting five months and my message to the FBI is ‘you arrested him for terrorism so why do you want to extradite him for these ridiculous, minor charges?’.
On his first appearance in court last September the US Government claimed that these were just holding charges and he would be charged with conspiracy to murder in connection with the terrorist attacks and could face the death penalty.
But on each occasion that Mr Raissi has appeared in court while still in custody the US authorities have failed to come up with any hard evidence that he instructed the hijackers, including the suspected ring leader, Mohammad Atta, as they alleged.
At a previous hearing, the judge warned that if the US was “unable to give the assurances that further charges of terrorist offences are to be offered, I have to assume that they won’t be.” He also said that the evidence against the pilot, from Colnbrook, Berkshire, is a “tenuous connection” to the attacks on September 11.
The judge said today: “I am also satisfied that the links that the Government had previously put before this court which was thought to connect the defendant to others in the terrorist organisation can no longer be substantiated.
“I am therefore no longer regarding the charges currently before me as specimen or holding charges and I have therefore examined the circumstances to see whether bail should be granted on those charges. I am satisfied that this is a case where conditional bail can now be granted.”
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Bolding of text is mine.
This is exacly what i'm worried about when it comes to the "treatment" of anyone suspected of terrorism, and recent changes of fed laws to give DOJ and FBI/CIA more freedom to abuse individuals, without having to present the evidence.
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better safe than sorry .... sorry if it inconveniences a few
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Originally posted by Eagler
better safe than sorry .... sorry if it inconveniences a few
At least till you and your family become "the few"....
"Protect minority from abuse of majority"...remember ?
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Originally posted by fd ski
At least till you and your family become "the few"....
"Protect minority from abuse of majority"...remember ?
What's you're solution?
We have a dragnet out there right now and some inocent people are goin to get caught up in it. It sux real bad that somebody lost their freedom for 5 months, but they did let him go. If they need to question me for 5 months they have my permission to do so, for terrorism nothing else ;).
I have to admit I'm wishy washy on this. I'm not ordinarily an "ends justify the means" kind of person. But in regards to this I don't see any other option.
Again, what's you're solution?
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The solution is to use our laws to bring the EVILDOERS to justice. What we cannot and must not do is to start making excuses for trampling the rights of anyone. That is tantamount to admitting defeat. The attack was on America and her ideals. As soon as we toss-out civil rights to get the bad guys we cease to be the America that pissed off those snakes, and they win.
:mad:
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Originally posted by midnight Target
The solution is to use our laws to bring the EVILDOERS to justice. What we cannot and must not do is to start making excuses for trampling the rights of anyone. That is tantamount to admitting defeat. The attack was on America and her ideals. As soon as we toss-out civil rights to get the bad guys we cease to be the America that pissed off those snakes, and they win.
:mad:
What if our laws make it possible, or even easy, for the evil doers to go back to their respective countries to start planning the next attack? Hell Taliban Johny may walk too, the FBI didn't record his confession.
I refuse to think that our government would let these people go given what they want for our country. If that means that we bend our own rules then so be it. If some inocents get caught up in it, I'm truely sorry. Every war has inocent casualties this "legal war" won't be any diferent. I can't stand the fact that this is the position I take on this, I absolutely hate it, but the next time it could be a nuke......................
American's rights are trampled on day by day too, but that's a whole other argument/debate :D
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If the guy was really guilty you'd think the FBI would have at least some evidence to show the judge. I'm pretty sure any judge right now would not take much convincing in such a case. If the judge let him go then it seems likely the FBI's case was roadkill.
The government should not arrest and detain somebody unless they can show evidence that the person committed a crime. If we start abandoning principles like that, then this country is not worth a damn, and we might as well let the terrorists finish the job.
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Originally posted by Eagler
better safe than sorry .... sorry if it inconveniences a few
I hope you'll never become an "inconvenient" ...
Same for you Udie.
to make things clear : I don't react because is wife is french.