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)

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