'We're over the moon they're back'

Families of the freed Guantanamo Bay detainees today described their joy at their return home.

Zumrati Juma, mother of 24-yearold Feroz Abbasi, said: "It has been a living hell for us, but I am so happy he is back."

And Azmat Begg, who campaigned for three years for the release of his son Moazzam, 36, said he was "over the moon".

The four detainees were reunited with their families late last night after being flown home from the US naval base on Tuesday. Speaking today outside her Croydon home, Ms Juma, a Ugandan-born nurse, said she had feared she would never see her son again after he was seized by US forces in Afghanistan in December 2001.

She described how she spent half an hour with him yesterday inside Paddington Green high-security police station.

"It was very emotional. I was so happy to see him and hug him again. I did not really discuss his conditions with him or his mental state because I did not want to upset him."

Ms Juma blamed fundamentalist clerics at Finsbury Park mosque, where her son worshipped, for indoctrinating him with radical ideas.

Freed detainee Moazzam Begg stayed up until 3am today talking to relatives, his father said.

"He is very tired. He couldn't sleep until we left him around about 2.30 or 3 o'clock.

"He was happy, although he has come from hell. He has gone through lots and lots of problems," added Mr Begg.