Release From Jail Sought for Cleared Terrorism Suspect
Benamar Benatta has obtained a lawyer, and offers of shelter and a job. Now, if a federal judge agrees to lower or waive his $25,000 bond next week, he could step out of his prison cell for the first time in 27 months. Benatta is one of the last lost men of 9/11. Jailed on the day of the 2001 attacks, the Algerian air force lieutenant has spent more than two years in federal prisons — much of that time in solitary confinement — even though the FBI formally concluded in November 2001 that he had no connection to terrorism. Benatta was among 1,200 men detained in the weeks after the terrorist attacks. Save for a possible unknown material witness, no detainee has remained locked up as long as Benatta. Full Story