Last UK detainee at Guantanamo released

Britain's last resident in Guantanamo Bay has been released after 13 years.

A soldier stands guard at the entrance to Guantanamo Bay's Camp 6

An officer at the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay has been sacked amid reports he had an affair. (AAP) Source: AAP

The last British resident in Guantanamo Bay has been released after spending more than 13 years at the military prison in Cuba.

"The Americans announced some weeks ago that they were going to release Shaker Aamer from Guantanamo and I can confirm that he is on his way back to the UK now and he will arrive in Britain later today," Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said on Friday.

The United States accused 46-year-old Saudi national Aamer of acting as a recruiting sergeant, financier and fighter for al-Qaeda, as well as being a close associate of Osama Bin Laden but never charged him or put him on trial.

The father-of-four, who was twice cleared for release from the camp in 2007 and 2009, denied the allegations and said he was in Afghanistan working for a charity.

Andy Worthington, co-director of the We Stand With Shaker campaign, said Aamer's lawyer had informed him of the release.

"We're delighted to hear that his long and unacceptable ordeal has come to an end," he said.

"We hope he won't be detained by the British authorities on his return and gets the psychological and medical care that he needs to be able to resume his life with his family in London."


Share

2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world