07/09/2007

Pakistan Sends British Suspect Home

A British man held in Pakistan without charge for more than a year on suspicion of links with al Qaeda has been released, according to reports.

Mr Rangzied Ahmed was arrested in August last year and claims he was repeatedly tortured by Pakistani security officials, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW).

HRW said Mr Ahmed had been interviewed by British security services during his detention.

British diplomats in Islamabad said they could not intervene in the case because they could not prove if he was also a Pakistani national.

Mr Ahmed denied any wrongdoing or involvement with al Qaeda.

HRW South Asia researcher Ali Dayan Hasan said: "The fact is that during one year of detention, the Pakistanis, the British and the United States have been unable to unearth a shred of evidence against this person."

(CD/SP)

Related UK National News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

15 October 2012
Pakistani Schoolgirl Shot By Taliban En-Route To UK For Specialist Treatment
A Pakistani schoolgirl who had campaigned for the rights of young females to an educations, is on her way to the UK for specialist medical treatment after being shot by the Taliban.
13 January 2009
Miliband Puts Pressure On Pakistani Authorities
Foreign Secretary David Miliband has called on Pakistani authorities to take action against those responsible for the Mumbai terror attacks. Mr Miliband told the government of responsibility that rests on its shoulders, and the importance of bringing the murders to justice.
13 August 2003
BA suspends flights to Saudi Arabia over 'security concerns'
British Airways has announced that it is to suspend all flights to Saudi Arabia "due to heightened security concerns in the region". BA said that it would suspend flights until further notice follows discussions earlier today between the airline and the British government's Department for Transport.
12 June 2003
BMI British Midland to axe 1,500 jobs
BMI British Midland Airways, one of the UK’s largest airlines, has said that falling demand will mean that the company will shed up to 1,500 jobs within the next four years. The airline will axe the jobs as part of a cost-cutting exercise under ‘Project Blue Sky’, a restructuring plan introduced to bring the company - which reported a £19.
01 April 2005
Foreign Office advise Britons to leave Ivory Coast
Britons have been warned to leave Africa's Ivory Coast, due to the "deteriorating security situation". The Foreign Office issued the warning as it announced that the British embassy in the West African country would close today.