An Algerian-born pilot arrested in Britain on suspicion of training some of the suicide hijackers behind the September terrorist attacks in the United States has been released on bail. 

A London judge freed Lofti Raissi on $14,000 bail and ordered him to appear again on March 28 for further hearings. He instructed Mr. Raissi, who was arrested in September, to surrender his passport, live at an agreed address and not leave the country. 

The United States had sought to extradite him but filed only charges of lying about his health and criminal history on his application for a U.S. pilot's license. 

Because the applications are submitted to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, the crime is a federal offense in the United States. 

The London judge said he acted after becoming convinced that there is no likelihood of terrorism charges being filed against Mr. Raissi in the near future. He also said he is convinced the suspect would not flee if released. 

American authorities have said they suspect Mr. Raissi of links to Hani Hanjour, the pilot believed to have crashed his plane into the Pentagon. Prosecutors say a video seized in a raid on Mr. Raissi's apartment showed him and Mr. Hanjour together. 

U.S. investigators believe Mr. Raissi was an instructor for several of the terrorists who hijacked planes on September 11 and crashed them into the Pentagon and the World Trade Center. A fourth hijacked plane crashed in Pennsylvania. 

Some information for this report provided by AFP and AP. 

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