Third London man held at Guantanamo

Another London man has been held by the Americans for nine months without charge at Guantanamo Bay, it emerged today.

Jamal Abdullah, 24, has lived in London since he was 14 but because he is not a UK passport holder the Foreign Office is refusing to take up his case.

Two weeks ago it was revealed that two other Britons, one of whom is from Croydon, were being denied legal help at the US camp.

Mr Abdullah was born to a Roman Catholic family but converted to Islam and spent several months at the Finsbury Park mosque where radical cleric Abu Hamza was preaching.

Mr Abdullah's family have been told that he has been held at Camp Delta in Cuba with other al Qaeda suspects since November.

He came to the UK from Uganda in 1993 after his father died to join his mother who was already here. He was educated in London.

Although he does not have a British passport he has indefinite-leave to remain here. His mother holds a British passport. His friends and family knew he was associating with radical Moslems but had no idea he was going abroad.

Speaking through their lawyer, Louise Christian, they say he changed his appearance while at university.

Then early last year he said he was going away on a trip organised by his "brothers" from the Finsbury Park mosque. A Foreign Office spokesman said: "He's not a British national and therefore we're not able to take up his interests."

Ms Christian said: "Britain has a moral obligation to help this man. He's been here since the age of 14."

The Government has been repeatedly condemned for its failure to give adequate help to Britons held without charge and in poor conditions at Camp Delta. There has been intense diplomatic wrangling over two other Britons held at the camp. One is a Jordanian who was living in Britain with refugee status, the second man is an Iraqi who had lived in Britain for 19 years.

So far the only concession Britain has been able to wring from US authorities is that British terrorist suspects being held at Guantanamo Bay will not face the death penalty.

After two days of talks in Washington the Attorney General-Lord Goldsmith, failed to persuade the US to send the men back home for trial. America announced earlier this month that Moazzem Begg, 35, from Birmingham, and Feroz Abbasi, 23, from London, were to be tried by military tribunals.

These tribunals, which are not subject to the basic concepts of civilian justice, are held behind closed doors and allow evidence from secret sources.

They have been heavily criticised by MPs and human rights organisations.

Mr Abbasi's mother, Zumrati Juma, a nurse in Croydon, said: "I don't think that the military commission is going to be a fair trial simply because if Feroz is tried in Guantanamo Bay he will have to serve his sentence in Guantanamo Bay.

"That means I'll not be able to see my son for a very long time.

"I am pleading personally with the Attorney General to negotiate with the Americans for the release of Feroz to this country to be tried here so I can have access to him."