A POLICE force is being sued for false imprisonment by two men arrested in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks on the US.

Omar Mohammed and Walid Zamzam were among six Middle Eastern men rounded up in dawn raids by armed police and accused of supplying terrorists with arms and explosives.

Operation Icebolt, involved 150 police officers from both Cleveland and Durham police forces carrying out raids on homes and kebab shops in Darlington, Middlesbrough and Seaton Carew, following a tip-off.

Mr Mohammed and Mr Zamzam are being represented by lawyer Scott Taylor of solicitors Watson Woodhouse.

He said: "Throughout all the interviews and since the interviews we have not been shown a single piece of evidence linking them with any wrongdoing."

Mother-of-three Tina Mohammed was separated from her husband for four days, and her three children by police.

Once eight-year-old Samiah, who has special needs, 11-year-old Aeisha and Jamie, 14, were allowed out of their home at Coulby Newham, near Middlesbrough, to go to school, they were not allowed back in again, and had to sleep with a relative and neighbours.

Having let in the police, Middlesbrough-born Mrs Mohammed was ordered to remain seated on the staircase from 7am until 2pm. Then she was confined to her kitchen until midnight.

Husband, Omar, 44, who came to Britain in 1989 said: "We want to say a very big thank you to all the neighbours for being so supportive. It is still all like a dream."

Mr Zamzam who ran a kebab shop at Seaton Carew, near Hartlepool, said he was "devastated" by his arrest and four days in custody.

Spokesmen for both Durham and Cleveland police forces said the only correspondence they received so far dealt with the return of property and damage claims.