Freed Briton to sue

One of the five Britons freed from Guantanamo Bay plans to sue the British and American governments over his two year ordeal.

Jamal al-Harith, 35, is today savouring his first day of freedom after being returned on a special RAF flight from the US military prison camp in Cuba.

Four other British men who were also flown back are being questioned by

Scotland Yard anti-terrorist officers at Paddington Green police station and are expected to be freed without charge within days.

Today Mr al-Harith's lawyer revealed his deep anger at the treatment he received and hinted at the extent of the legal action he may take.

The father-of-three from Manchester is understood to have been a prisoner of the Taliban before being taken into American custody and has been described by his family as a quiet man who rarely spoke of his Islamic faith.

His immediate freedom is an indication of the embarrassing lack of evidence against him.

Today Mr al-Harith was believed to be spending time with his two sisters in Manchester and was expected to be reunited with his three children and ex-wife, who have not seen him since 2001.

The former website designer was detained for four hours last night under anti-terrorism powers which allow police to stop anyone entering Britain for brief questioning. He left RAF Northolt in a police convoy shortly before midnight.

Today his lawyer, Robert Lizar said: "He's looking forward to seeing his family very much. He has been detained as an innocent for a period of two years. He has been treated in a cruel, inhumane and degrading manner. He wants the authorities to answer for that."

Whitehall sources have admitted that British intelligence officers have been involved in interrogating detainees at Guantanamo.

The Government now faces the embarrassing prospect of details of their activities being revealed in court. Any attempt to keep them secret in Britain would be futile if Mr al-Harith sues in America.

Mr Lizar said: "He believes that the UK authorities have been complicit in terms of being involved in questioning him while in detention and allowing that to continue. He would like also to point out that the conditions under which he has suffered for that period of time are still being suffered by others in detention.

"He would urge everybody who is concerned about those matters to raise them with the US and UK authorities as soon as possible. He's an innocent man. He wants to know why he was kept in custody for so long."

Mr al-Harith, also known as Jamal Udeen, was born Ronald Fiddler to devoutly Christian parents from Jamaica and converted to Islam in his early twenties. In the early Nineties he went to Sudan to learn Arabic. He spent four years there before returning to Britain where he got married and set up a website design business with his wife.

In September 2001 he was said to be devastated at the collapse of his marriage and went backpacking. He was arrested by the Taliban regime and imprisoned in Kandahar as a spy. He was found there by US troops when the Taliban regime fell.