A father whose Heston home was raided days after the September 11 terror attacks has told of his relief after winning the latest stage of a seven-year legal battle for compensation.

Mohamed Raissi was arrested in front of his wife and daughter during a pre-dawn raid on September 21, 2001, and held for nearly two days without charge.

The 36-year-old could receive up to £200,000 from the Met Police after winning the right to sue at the Court of Appeal last Wednesday.

"I feel very relieved this ordeal is almost over," he said. "We lost a lot, not just my freedom.

"My wife lost her job with Virgin Airlines when I was arrested and my health and our family life were put under terrible pressure.

"I hope a line is drawn under this chapter soon so that we can all move on."

Officers had pounded on Mr Raissi's door at 3am on September 21 and taken him to Paddington Green Police Station, where he was held incommunicado for 42 hours before being released without charge.

His brother Lotfi, an Algerian pilot, was arrested on the same night and accused of training the September 11 suicide terrorists.

However, police and the Crown Prosecution Service failed to get Lotfi extradited to the US and he was cleared in February of playing any part in the attacks.

Judges last week ruled police did not have reasonable grounds to suspect Mohamed was a terrorist based on the fact he lived near his Colnbrook-based brother and the pair had access to each other's homes.

They upheld last year's High Court ruling that he had been unlawfully arrested, rejecting the Met's appeal that the raid was based on 'significant information available at the time'.

A Met spokesman said the arrest was based on information from the FBI regarding possible terrorist links and the officers involved had acted in 'good faith'.

"As always, our overriding concern was for the safety of the public and this information could not be ignored," he added.

The family's solicitor Jules Carey, of Tuckers Solicitors, said the amount of damages Mohamed would receive from the commissioner had yet to be determined.

He added that his client hoped to agree an out-of-court settlement to avoid further litigation.