Terror suspect gets bail
2005-01-31 15:04
London - The first of 12 foreign terror suspects held for years without charge in British jails was granted bail on Monday, after the government was forced to amend its policy of indefinite detention, Sky News reported.
The government had alleged that the Palestinian-born asylum seeker, who has lived in Britain since 1995, is an extremist who fought in both Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Mahmoud Abu Rideh was arrested in the days immediately following the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States.
He was held for more than a year at Belmarsh before being moved to Broadmoor prison.
The British government last week amended its policy, allowed under the Terrorism Act 2001, of indefinite detention without trial of foreign terror suspects following a landmark legal ruling which declared it contravened human rights law.