U.S.

Alleged Terror Trainer Indicted

November 27, 2001 / 7:34 AM EST / AP

A man suspected of training some of the hijackers in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks has been indicted by a federal grand jury in an immigration case.

Prosecutors have said they believe Lotfi Raissi was one of the lead trainers for the hijackers who slammed a plane into the Pentagon. He was being held in Great Britain while U.S. prosecutors attempt to extradite him.

The 27-year-old Algerian pilot has denied any connection to terrorism.

The indictment unsealed Tuesday accuses Raissi of devising a fictitious story to help fellow Algerian Redouane Dahmani obtain asylum in the United States.

The men allegedly claimed on federal documents that Dahmani, 26, needed to be smuggled out of Algeria to escape persecution.

Dahmani, who had been living in Phoenix, has been jailed since his indictment Nov. 7 by a Maricopa County grand jury. No trial date has been set on charges of forgery, perjury and identity theft.

Dahmani's attorney, Myrna Parker, said prosecutors had not provided her with investigative reports or any other evidence regarding the case so she could not comment.

An earlier federal indictment accused Raissi of lying about a theft conviction on a Federal Aviation Administration application for a pilot's license.