 On September 12, 2001, the day following the September 11 attacks in 2001, Benatta was turned over to United States authorities by Canada border guards, and was held in detention for nearly five years despite having been cleared of suspicions of terrorist activities by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.Benatta was a Lieutenant in the Algerian Air Force, and was sent to the United States on a 6-month visa in December 2000 to attend training seminars in Baltimore at the military conglomerate Northrop Grumman as part of a military exchange program.He did not return to Algeria at the end of the course, reporting that he feared for his life due to threats from terrorists and from the military.