Fears remain for five coming home

The family of a Briton due to be released from Guantanamo Bay told today of their joy at the prospect of being reunited with him after two years.

Tarek Dergoul, 24, will be freed in the next few weeks after being held without trial by the US on suspicion of fighting for the Taliban or al Qaeda in Afghanistan.

His family in east London were told last night that he is one of five UK detainees being sent home after an agreement between the Government and US authorities.

Dergoul's mother, who did not wish to be named, told the Standard: "We are very relieved but we still don't know when he will arrive home."

Speaking at the family home in Tower Hamlets, she added: "We are looking forward to seeing him. It has been very hard."

One of her sons, who also wished not to be named, added: "This is very good news. It has been very difficult for the whole family, especially my parents."

The other four Britons being released are Ruhal Ahmed, Asif Iqbal, Shafiq Rasul and Jamal Al Harith.

The five have been interrogated by US intelligence and are no longer deemed to be a threat, US Major-General Geoffrey Miller told the BBC.

They are among more than 600 prisoners at the notorious Camp Delta set up to hold suspected Taliban and al Qaeda fighters captured in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Ahmed's father Risoth said: "He is a kid, straight out of school. How could he be a terrorist?" Iqbal's family today revealed they were "very worried" about his mental state amid suggestions he was " unravelling amid the harsh conditions of Camp Delta".

There are four Britons who are not being released. They are Feroz Abbasi, Moazzam Begg, Martin Mubanga and Richard Belmar.

All are in "legal limbo" and could still face the military tribunals which are the main sticking point in negotiations between British and US authorities. Begg's father Azmat said today: "I do not know why my son has not been released. I am hopeful that he will be released after a while." Mr Begg added that, after six months with no news, he was very worried about his son's health because of the conditions he had been kept in.

He told Radio 4's Today programme: "It is quite possible that their hands are not working, their eyes are not working and their brains are not working because I have not received a letter for six months. There is no other source so I have not heard anything about him."

Home Secretary David Blunkett indicated that the five to be freed were not regarded as a terrorist threat, saying none of them "will actually be a threat to the security of the British people".

His remarks appeared to clash with comments by Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, who said they could still face arrest under anti-terrorist laws when they arrive back in Britain.

Scotland Yard's national coordinator for terrorism, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Peter Clarke, said that each case would be considered individually by anti-terrorism officers. He said officers would begin by contacting the men's families and their legal representatives.

Shadow home secretary David Davis took a tough line, claiming that while it was right they should be released if there were no charges to answer, some could face possible charges of treason.

"If the US provides the UK authorities with evidence that these people supported or offered comfort to the Taliban or al Qaeda, then they should be tried here," he said.

"If they fought against coalition troops on the battlefield, they should also be charged and tried in the UK."

The announcement of their release creates fresh problems for Tony Blair, who is under pressure to reveal details of the agreement with the US which allowed the five to be sent back.