| Submit your comments on this article |
| Britain |
| Terror suspect's "bizarre" release from jail |
| 2005-02-02 |
| THE suspected Islamic terrorist known as "C", imprisoned for three years but released unexpectedly on Monday, has been used by the government as a guinea pig to test the limits of human rights laws in Britain, his solicitor claimed last night. Natalia Garcia, a Birmingham-based lawyer, described the Home Office's about-turn regarding her client as "out of the blue" and "completely bizarre". She explained how at 11am on Monday at a hearing before the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (Siac), the government maintained its view that C was a suspected terrorist and a danger to national security. Indeed, the Home Office had submitted the same line to Siac for a further hearing today. But by 5pm on Monday, a government solicitor had contacted her office to say C's certification had been revoked. Two hours later, he was a free man. Ms Garcia said the Home Office said C's alleged terror associates had been "disabled" or detained, and so C was no longer deemed dangerous. C, an Egyptian in his thirties, claimed asylum in the UK in March 2000 and was recognised as a genuine refugee. However, in December 2001 he was arrested after the Home Office judged he was a senior member of Egyptian Islamic Jihad, whose leader, Ayman al Zawhiri, is regarded as the architect of the al Qaeda ideology and the closest confidant of Osama bin Laden. In his absence, C was sentenced by the Egyptian courts to 15 years in prison for allegedly trying to recruit army officers to the terrorist cause. In October 2003, Siac concluded the government had "reasonable grounds" to suspect C had a "senior leadership role in the Egyptian Islamic Jihad in the United Kingdom". Last July, it claimed C could easily re-engage with his terrorist contacts and "re-establish his activities". C denies all the allegations. Ms Garcia claimed the incarceration without trial or charge had "decimated" her client's life. "What he wants is an apology and an explanation," she said. "Tomorrow, we will be asking for more details; why he has been used as a guinea pig for three years in a government experiment to see how far they can push human rights in this country . . . I can make no sense of it — and I am a lawyer." Yesterday afternoon, Charles Clarke, the home secretary, issued a statement about C but gave no details for his decision, saying only that such cases were kept under constant review and he had concluded the weight of evidence in relation to C at the current time did not justify his continued detention. The Home Office was asked what had changed in a matter of hours to make C no longer a terrorist threat. A spokesman replied: "What we can't do is to go into specific details of any of the detainees." C's unconditional release came 24 hours after another detainee — Jordanian-born Abu Rideh — was granted bail by Siac because indefinite detention had worsened his psychiatric problems. Two other men, Algerians known only as A and P, were also granted bail. Both C and Abu Rideh were among the first eight people to be detained under the anti-terrorism laws brought in after the September 11 attacks. In December, the indefinite detention of 12 foreign terror suspects without trial was ruled unlawful by the law lords. Last week, Mr Clarke announced the policy was going to be replaced by the introduction of "control orders", which will include the power to place terror suspects under house arrest. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #3 Ms Garcia doesn't need theories. She has certainties. She wears a hijab. |
| Posted by: Bulldog 2005-02-02 11:15:34 AM |
| #2 So his "associates" are all bagged and he get's kicked loose? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...wonder how that happened? Any theories, Ms. Garcia? |
| Posted by: tu3031 2005-02-02 11:12:13 AM |
| #1 Ms Garcia said the Home Office said C’s alleged terror associates had been "disabled" or detained, and so C was no longer deemed dangerous. "His buddies are all gone, so he's clean." |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2005-02-02 11:04:28 AM |