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| Britain |
| UK: Freed Guantanamo man arrested at Spain's request |
| 2007-12-20 |
| A British resident freed from Guantanamo Bay prison has been arrested hours after returning to the UK and is to face terrorism charges in Spain. Jamiel Abdul Latif el-Banna, a Jordanian citizen, was arrested in London on Thursday and was due to appear in the City of Westminster Magistrates Court in relation to a Spanish extradition request. The 45-year-old was being held on a European arrest warrant alleging terrorist-related offences. El-Banna was freed from the US jail in Cuba on Wednesday with two other British residents, Omar Deghayes and Abdennur Sameur, after four years in captivity. They were all held without charges or trial. El-Banna was taken to Guantanamo Bay after being detained in the West African country of Gambia in November 2002. Before their arrest, all three suspects were living in the UK under refugee, or legal resident permits. The three men arrived at Luton airport on Wednesday after their release. Deghayes and Sameur were also arrested on their arrival in the UK on suspicion of preparing and instigating terrorism. Senior Spanish prosecutor Baltasar Garzon had asked for el-Banna and Deghayes to be extradited to Spain in 2004. For now, only el-Banna is likely to be extradited but 38-year-old Deghayes could also be extradited to Spain after police interrogation. Garzon based his request on the men's alleged connection with a Spanish al-Qaeda cell, led by Imad Eddin Barakat Yarkas, also known as Abu Dahdah. El-Banna and Deghayes were alleged to have had extensive contact with him from 1996 until the cell was dismantled in 2001. According to the lawyer of all three returned suspects, Clive Stafford-Smith, el-Banna is innocent. He claims Spain is using charges that have been proven to be false. "The fact that the Spanish actually were behind this wrongful detention in Guantanamo Bay is something they should be ashamed of," he told reporters. "The idea now that they want to use this evidence we've proved to be false to take them for further detention is very worrying." The British Home Office is also reviewing the immigration status of the three men. |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #1 Out of the frying pan and into the comfy chair... |
| Posted by: M. Murcek 2007-12-20 08:51 |