Former Guantanamo Bay prisoner arrives in Britain hours after release
- 9 years ago
A suspected al-Qaeda member who became a cause célèbre among human rights groups and British lawmakers returned home Friday after being held more than 13 years at the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, prison.
Shaker Aamer, who was first cleared for release in 2007, crossed the Atlantic on a plane chartered by the British government, touching down at London's Biggin Hill airport just before 1 p.m. local time.
A spokeswoman for the British Prime Minister David Cameron said Cameron "welcomes his release and that people should be reassured that everything necessary to ensure public safety - those measures have been put in place."
"It's quite clear that the circumstances in which he was detained for this long period in Guantanamo were a serious error by the United states of America and one that has done the United States reputation on issues of human rights a great deal of damage," he said.
Shaker Aamer, who was first cleared for release in 2007, crossed the Atlantic on a plane chartered by the British government, touching down at London's Biggin Hill airport just before 1 p.m. local time.
A spokeswoman for the British Prime Minister David Cameron said Cameron "welcomes his release and that people should be reassured that everything necessary to ensure public safety - those measures have been put in place."
"It's quite clear that the circumstances in which he was detained for this long period in Guantanamo were a serious error by the United states of America and one that has done the United States reputation on issues of human rights a great deal of damage," he said.