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$300,000 payout to 9/11 detenu

Dan Glaister

Los Angeles: The U.S. Government has agreed to pay $300,000 to an Egyptian man who was detained in New York after the 9/11 attacks, held for several months and deported after pleading guilty to credit card fraud.

The settlement is the first to be made by the U.S. Government, which is facing several lawsuits brought by Muslim men who were swept up in the aftermath of 9/11. They claim they were abused at a detention centre in New York and had their constitutional rights violated.

The Government had argued the attacks created ``special factors'' that placed an emphasis on the fight against terrorism that outweighed the defendant's right to sue.

The man, Ehab Elmaghraby (38) told the New York Times that he was satisfied with the outcome.

``I wish I could come to New York, to stay in the court face to face with these people,'' he said from Egypt, where he now lives. ``I think the judges are fair.''

Alexander Reinert, a lawyer for Mr. Elmaghraby, said: ``This is a substantial settlement and shows for the first time that the Government can be held accountable for the abuses that have occurred in Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo Bay and in prisons right here in the United States.''

Government lawyers said the settlement did not admit any fault or liability on the part of the Government or the officials named in the lawsuit, including the former Attorney-General, John Ashcroft.

- Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006

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