Guantanamo Britons on their way home
The four remaining British terrorist suspects held at Guantanamo Bay are due home today, with some of them having spent almost three years in US custody.
The men were accused of having links to al-Qaida but were never put on trial. However, they are likely to face questioning by British police on their return from the naval base in Cuba.
Moazzam Begg, from Birmingham, and Londoners Martin Mubanga, Richard Belmar and Feroz Abbasi are due to fly into RAF Northolt in Middlesex this afternoon.
They are being released by the US after lengthy and complex negotiations. It is not known what, if any, security assurances the UK have given the US to secure the men’s’ return.
Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has said it is up to the police to decide whether the men would be arrested on their return. Head of the Metropolitan Police Sir John Stevens is still “considering” the issue, a police spokesman said.
Five other British detainees were returned home from Guantanamo last year and were questioned by British police but released without charge.
Three of those claimed that they had been tortured at the navy base and at least four have lodged legal actions against the US government for mistreatment.
The secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, Iqbal Sacranie, met Home Office Minister Hazel Blears yesterday to ask that the men arriving today receive “urgent medical attention”.
“They have gone through a horrible ordeal and therefore it is crucial that they must be in the right state of mind before any questioning takes place,” Mr Sacranie told reporters.
He added: “If there was any evidence against them the Americans would not have released them – that is important to bear in mind.
“These people are not criminals or terrorists, they are people who have been detained for no reason because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman, Mark Oaten said that the men should be quickly either charged or freed.
Mr Oaten said: “After their long ordeal it’s important that any police inquiries are concluded as swiftly as possible.”
And he added that: “In the meantime the Home Secretary should tackle the issue of the detainees being held in Belmarsh as quickly as possible.”
