embassy in London said Lewis Alsamari, who has lived in Britain since 1995, had not given sufficient notice about his planned trip. He explains, 'I was born in Iraq but have lived in Britain since 1995 and am about to apply for British citizenship'. London-based LEWIS ALSAMARI plays the main hijacker in the film, which depicts the final hours of the passengers on United Airlines flight 93, which crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, on 11 September 2001.īut although he was granted asylum in the UK in 1998, American authorities are less keen to welcome him across the Atlantic. It is testament both to the strength of the human spirit and to the extremes we'll go to in order to keep our loved ones safe.The lead actor in 9/11 movie UNITED 93 will miss out on the film's premiere in New York City on Tuesday (25APR06), because the US Embassy are is denying him a visa. Out of Iraq is an exhilarating and terrifying story of one man's escape from one of the harshest regimes of the modern era. But, of course, it wasn't quite that simple. The only thing which could help was money and lots of it, so Lewis fraudulently transferred GBP37,000 from the accounts of William Hill (where he had a temporary job) into his own bank, and wired it to Baghdad in order to pay the necessary bribes.

Now he had to work out how to rescue his mother, brother and sister, who had been apprehended by security forces and thrown into jail once Lewis's escape became known. Against the odds, Lewis survived this trek, made it across the border into Jordan, and eventually sought asylum the UK, where he had spent his childhood. Going under the wire of the army compound where he was posted, Lewis was shot in the leg, making his escape - which required a gruelling journey in disguise across the desert at night with a group of Bedouin, at the mercy of ravenous wolves - all the more arduous. This left him with only one option - to escape from his native land, leaving his family behind him. Things went from bad to worse once his superiors discovered his ability to speak English, and Lewis was selected for Saddam's elite, top secret intelligence service, an offer he literally could not refuse. Īged 17, Lewis Alsamari was conscripted into the Iraqi army. Going under the wire of the army compound where he was posted, Lewis was shot in the leg, making his escape - which required a gruelling journey in disguise. Aged 17, Lewis Alsamari was conscripted into the Iraqi army.

Out Of Iraq.. by Lewis Alsamari