"I want to put Spain and the UK on the spot. I was accused of killing nearly 3,000 Americans and both sides knew there was no evidence," Hilali told The Guardian, adding that he was seeking about 1.8 million euros ($2.22 million) in compensation for his unjust incarceration.
The former detainee said that the two countries had violated his rights, and explained this claim by pointing out that Spain had provided the United Kingdom with false evidence and London ruled to use the telephone intercepts even after they had been recognized as inadmissible as a justification for the arrest.
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According to Hilali, he will lodge a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights if his compensation claims are rejected.
In 2004, Hilali was detained by the UK authorities on the grounds of a European arrest warrant (EAW) issued by Spain because of his suspected membership in the al-Qaeda* terrorist group. According to the warrant, Hilali had informed other members of the group about the deadly attacks. The man was released in 2009 and his case dropped in 2012 when a court in Spain admitted the "inexistence of any kind of evidence" that could prove Halili's ties to al-Qaeda.