Bail for 'Guantanamo Briton'
Three British residents land in UK after release from Guantanamo Bay detention facility
Thursday, 20, Dec 2007 09:27
A UK resident released from Guantanamo Bay yesterday has been granted bail at a court in central London.
Jamiel el-Banna appeared at Westminster magistrates court to confirm his name and date of birth before being bailed until January 9th.
He is wanted by Spanish authorities in connection with allegations of involvement in an al-Qaida cell.
Prosecutors in Britain will now decide whether to extradite the 45-year-old, who has spent the last four years detained without trial in the controversial US prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Mr el-Banna was arrested as the charter plane that had brought him across the Atlantic touched down at Luton airport.
Two other former Guantanamo detainees - Omar Deghayes, 38, and Abdenour Samuer, 34 – were also arrested upon arrival in Britain under the Terrorism Act 2000.
Mr Deghayes has been bailed while Mr Samuer has been released without charge.
All three men had been at Guantanamo Bay since 2003, with UK authorities having lobbied for their release for some time.
Previous reports said they had "voluntarily agreed" to security measures requested by the UK government once they were back in the country.
President George Bush has revealed he plans to bring an end to the holding of 'enemy combatants' at Guantanamo Bay as it is harmful to the US' reputation overseas.
The US has come under fire from a number of nations for its apparent 'mistreatment' of detainees.
And the release of these three men, and a fourth UK resident who is expected to return to his native Saudi Arabia, is seen as a sign of prime minister Gordon Brown's new stance in the transatlantic relationship.