Guantanamo Bay detainee Omar Deghayes has been freed from prison but faces a fresh battle to be reunited with his family.
After more than five years locked in a cell without being charged or tried for a crime, Mr Deghayes flew home tonight.
But it then emerged that Spain had asked the Government to extradite Mr Deghayes along with a second man brought back from Guantanamo Bay to face further questions on the continent over allegations of terrorism.
And tonight Mr Deghayes' relatives in Brighton were in turmoil as they tried to find out whether they would get to see their loved one after all.
Brother Abubaker Deghayes said: "We're very disappointed with the way things have turned out.
"The family expected him to be home either tonight or early tomorrow morning.
"We'll have to see where the legal process now takes us."
Mr Deghayes, a law student and Libyan national, had lived in Brighton for 16 years before he was arrested, allegedly by bounty hunters, in Pakistan in 2002.
He was transferred to the notorious US jail in Cuba months later.
Mr Deghayes left Guantanamo today and flew to Luton Airport with two other British citizens, Jamil el-Banna and Abdenour Samuer, on board a chartered aircraft.
The men were accompanied by officers from the Metropolitan Police counter-terrorism unit as well as uniformed officers requested by the Foreign Office.
They arrived at around 7pm and Mr Deghayes and Mr Samuer were arrested under the Terrorism Act and taken to Paddington Green police station in London where they were questioned by detectives.
Mr Deghayes' family - mother Zohra, brothers Abubaker and Taher and sister Amani - were waiting expectantly at the family home in Arundel Drive, Saltdean, in the hope he would be released.
It is thought Omar's six-year-old son Suleiman and his wife Maryam will return from Pakistan next week.
The Home Office said each of the released prisoners will now have their immigration status reviewed "immediately".
After the release of the trio from Guantanamo Bay Clive Stafford-Smith, from human rights group Reprieve, had spoken of his delight the men were being sent back to Britain.
He said: "It's fantastic news - the best. The fact that he will be home for Eid, the biggest Muslim festival of the year, is just brilliant.
"We've agreed completely to the security measures required by the UK. We aren't free to discuss what they are but we have nothing to hide.
"Omar trained as a lawyer.
"He'd be one now if he hadn't been languishing in Guantanamo for five, almost six years. As for the people of Brighton, I think it's fantastic what they've done for Omar."
The Argus has campaigned for Omar Deghayes's release for more than three years.
Save Omar campaigners, based in Brighton, said they would hold a vigil tomorrow night for all the prisoners left at the US detention facility.
Brighton Kemptown MP Des Turner, who delivered a dossier of stories The Argus has published on Omar to the White House earlier this year, said: "I never understood the Americans' case against Omar or why they felt it was necessary to hold him along with hundreds of others for so long in such inhumane conditions."
A Home Office statement said the US had agreed to the releases on December 10.
It said: "This does not imply a commitment on our part that they can remain permanently in Britain and their immigration status will be reviewed."
2 comments:
Why does the Argus support Terrorists?
Why does the Argus take a biased opinion which swerves violently to the left of nonce?
Why delete posts from white hetrosexuals?
Susan the Argus reporter constantly tells of the minority being wrong, and that the majority gay population may hunt you don't and potentially play supreme high court on you.
This is exactly why this blog is here. I have a lot of free time over Christmas so ever story will on here.
Probably when I'm back at work, just the one's that you CAN'T comment on will be on here...
Post a Comment