Murderer sues government for wrongful detention in UK

A man who was convicted of murder is suing the government for £60,000, claiming his arrest for a potential terror plot was unlawful. Christodoulos Sotiriou, 59, is in the spotlight after he was previously sentenced to life in prison for stabbing photographer Dietmar Kirchner, the husband of film executive Maj-Britt Kirchner, in 1991. Sotiriou was released on parole in 2000, but his legal troubles continued. He was arrested in 2018 when police found items that could be used to make weapons hidden in Hampstead Heath. His journals contained disturbing references, including mentions of weaponizing a bicycle pump and links to extremist ideology. Sotiriou argues he was wrongfully detained for a total of 18 months. His lawyers claim he was still held even after another individual was arrested in connection with the weapon cache. However, government lawyers defend the arrest, stating it was based on various concerns regarding the risk he posed to the public. The Ministry of Justice maintains that Sotiriou's recall to prison was justified. They point to his past history of weapon possession, including a significant stash of banned items found in 2011. They argue that the details in his notebooks indicated he may have been planning a violent act. Sotiriou insists that his notebook entries were just random thoughts and that he holds no extremist views. The judge in the case is expected to issue a ruling on the damages claim in the future.