AN Egyptian terror suspect, held by Britain for three years without trial because he was said to be the leader of an al-Qaeda linked militant group, has been released from prison, the government said today. The Department for Constitutional Affairs confirmed the decision but could give no further details about the conditions of his release. The detainee, known only as "C", was one of 17 men held by Britain under now discredited anti-terror laws which allowed the indefinite detention of foreigners without trial if they were suspected of being involved in terrorism.The decision to free him comes just days after Britain detailed plans to overhaul its anti-terror laws after the UK's highest court, the Law Lords, ruled emergency powers adopted in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks, violated basic rights. Yesterday, Britain announced it would free Palestinian terror suspect Mahmoud Abu Rideh on bail. The government arrested "C" in December 2001, saying he was the British leader of Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ), which it said had merged with Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network. Egypt sentenced him in absentia to 15 years in jail for trying to recruit Egyptian army officers to the EIJ, according to British court documents. Civil rights group Liberty said he was released from a maximum security prison late yesterday.