Former Guantánamo Prisoner Arrested in U.K.

Moazzam Begg is suspected of terrorism offenses connected to the war in Syria

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A former detainee at the U.S. prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, has been arrested by British police on suspected terrorism charges connected to the war in Syria, U.K. officials said Tuesday.

Moazzam Begg, 45, was released from the Guantánamo Bay facility in early 2005 after serving nearly two years in solitary confinement, according to his attorney. British police say he is suspected of having attended a terrorist training camp and “facilitating terrorism overseas,” the New York Times reports.

Begg’s arrest in Birmingham does “not imply any guilt” police said in a statement. Hundreds of militants from the U.K. have joined with jihadist forces against Bashar Assad in Syria’s civil war.

Three other persons, who remain unnamed, were arrested along with Begg.

[NYT]