Feroz Abbasi was one of nine British men who were held at Camp X-Ray, Guantanamo Bay by the government of the United States of America. He was released from detention on 25 January 2005 along with Moazzam Begg, Martin Mubanga and Richard Belmar, the other five having previously been released.

Background

Feroz Abbasi, 24, was born in Uganda and moved to Britain with his mother, nurse Zumrati Juma, and family when he was eight. They lived in Croydon, South London and Abbasi attended Edenham High School in Shirley, Croydon, gaining good GCSE grades. He is said to have been a well behaved and conscientious school pupil, interested in roller blading and Michael Jackson. He took his A-levels at John Ruskin College (1996-1998) and enrolled in a two-year computing course at Nescot College in Epsom, which he apparently did not finish to go travelling.

Abbasi was brought up a Muslim but had stopped attending his local mosque when he was twelve. His interest in Islam was apparently rekindled after he was mugged at 19 on his first trip abroad to Geneva and then met a Kashmiri refugee there. He began to frequent the moderate local mosque in Croydon. He then became more fervent, becoming involved with and in spring 2000 moving into the radical Finsbury Park mosque, where he helped set up a website for a militant Islamic group. Because his half-brother and half-sister had a Christian father, he stopped talking to the family and eventually disappeared altogether. The family last saw him in 2000, as he was preparing to leave for Afghanistan. Nothing more was known until Abbasi was reportedly detained in December 2001, in Kunduz in the north of the country.

Allegations and internment

It is alleged that Abbasi attended four separate al-Qaeda training courses from January to August 2001 at the al-Farouk training camp, near Kandahar, and also at nearby camp, Ubaida. He was taught urban warfare, assassination techniques, intelligence collection and surveillance. They allege that he volunteered to participate in suicide operations and met Osama bin Laden three times. It is said that he fought alongside al-Qaeda and the Taliban against US and coalition forces in Afghanistan. When he was captured by the Northern Alliance, they claim he had hand grenades strapped to his legs and was carrying a military radio. He was handed over to US forces then taken to Guantanamo Bay.

His mother and his lawyers argue that Abbasi is one of a small group of idealistic young Muslim men who found themselves caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. She has said she is worried for his mental welfare and, by his release, had not heard from him since late-2003. British officials last saw him in April 2003, although he kept silent for an hour.

In November 2002 the British Court of Appeal said it found his detention in Cuba "legally objectionable", but stopped short of forcing the government to intervene on his behalf. The US Government announced that Abbasi would be one of the prisoners facing a military tribunal, although it was announced that he would not face the death penalty if convicted [1] (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/07/24/attack/main564921.shtml). It was reported in mid-November 2004 that the Britons in Guantanamo Bay "expect to face charges within six weeks" [2] (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/11/14/nguan14.xml). However no charges appeared to have been laid.

On 28 January 2005, after Abbasi's release, the US authorities released to the BBC further details of their allegations and a statement allegedly written by Abbasi in the form of a handwritten autobiography whilst in detention. He decribes his anguish and low self-esteem before he left England. He outlines how a jihad group works and describes his training and use of weapons. However, Abbasi's lawyer has confirmed that he claims to have been tortured and it is generally felt that the statement could not be used in a British court as evidence.

Release

Abbasi's detention had given rise to a campaign by his mother, his MP Geraint Davies and human rights lawyers and organisations against the internment and military tribunal process. They also called on the British government to put greater pressure on their US counterparts to improve the tribunal process, detention conditions and access for the family and lawyers. It appears that the British government did use their influence, reportedly leading to a slight rift between the two countries.

On Monday 11 January 2005, the British Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw announced that the four Britons in Guantanamo Bay: Moazzam Begg, Martin Mubanga, Richard Belmar and Feroz Abbasi, will be returned to Britain "within weeks" after "intensive and complex discussions" with the US government. Although they are still regarded as "enemy combatants" by the US government, no specific charges have been brought against any of them.

On Tuesday 25 January 2005, Abbasi, along with the three other British citizens, was flown back to the United Kingdom by an RAF aircraft. On arrival they were arrested by officers from the Metropolitan Police and taken to Paddington Green police station for questioning under the Terrorism Act 2000. By 9pm on Wednesday 26 January, all four had been released without charge.