So where did the rest of the £20million compensation go? British government handed payouts to at least 17 Guantanamo detainees to protect national security

  • Several Guantanamo detainees were trying to sue Britain over their treatment
  • Ken Clarke agreed to pay claimants to stop costly and embarrassing court cases
  • Among those said to have received money are Shaker Aamer and Moazzam Begg
  • Payouts are widely thought to have amounted up to £1million for each detainee 

The British Government agreed a deal worth nearly £20million so they could silence prisoners who threatened legal action over their treatment in Guantanamo Bay.

The detainees - many of whom claimed they were victims of kidnap and torture - had started proceedings against Britain for its involvement in their abuse,.

The alleged the country's secret services were complicit in their mistreatment at the notorious US military base.

The government went to the Court of Appeal in a bid to keep the battles in court behind closed doors.

However, on May 4, 2010 - just days before the General Election which saw Gordon Brown's Labour government ousted - judges ruled against them. 

The compensation payments were announced by then Justice Secretary Ken Clarke in 2010 to avoid what the government believed would be costly (up to £50m) and embarrassing court cases that would put British security at risk. 

Details were kept secret and both sides signed confidentiality agreements, with the Cabinet Office still insisting it is bound by the terms of the settlement and cannot say exactly how much was paid and who received it.

But the payouts are widely thought to have amounted to up to £1m for each detainee and paid to at least 17 British citizens and residents.

Now, as it's revealed that one of the recipients fled the UK and carried out a suicide bomb attack in Mosul, we take a look at the other prisoners who fought for a slice of the compensation pot.

 

Jamal al-Harith

A Mancunian convert who was born as Ronald Fiddler, Jamal al-Harith was freed from Guantanamo Bay in 2004 after Tony Blair's Labour government lobbied for his release, claiming he posed no threat. 

Al-Harith had wound up in the brutal camp after being arrested by the Taliban while in Afghanistan.

He was later found by US forces, who claimed he was an Al Qaeda fighter and considered a 'high threat'. He always denied the allegations and claimed he had been backpacking in Pakistan for a 'religious holiday' when he was captured.

Following his release from Guantanamo, the bomber launched a compensation bid, claiming MI6 was complicit in his mistreatment by knowing it was going on.

Jamal Al-Harith was freed from Guantanamo Bay in 2004 after Tony Blair's Labour government lobbied for his release, claiming he posed no threat. He has now died in a suicide bomb attack

Jamal Al-Harith was freed from Guantanamo Bay in 2004 after Tony Blair's Labour government lobbied for his release, claiming he posed no threat. He has now died in a suicide bomb attack

But that legal action was dropped when the Government agreed in 2010 to pay him compensation of up to £1million to stay silent. 

Two days ago, al-Harith - who used Abu Zakariya al-Britani as his nomme de guerre - carried out a suicide bomb attack at an army base in Mosul, Iraq, while fighting for ISIS. 

He is believed to have fled to Syria in 2014, after returning to Britain and buying a three-bedroom house in Stockport with his compensation money. 

The following year, his British wife Shukee Begum went ISIS-controlled Syria to try to bring her husband home.

Binyam Mohamed 

Binyam Mohamed spent five years in Guantanamo Bay before his released in 2009

Binyam Mohamed spent five years in Guantanamo Bay before his released in 2009

Binyam Mohamed, an Ethiopian national, lived in London for seven years before travelling to Afghanistan in 2001.

He claimed he was captured in Pakistan in 2002, before being tortured at the behest of the CIA there, as well as in Morocco and Afghanistan.

In 2004, Mohamed was sent to Guantanamo, where he was held until his return to the UK in 2009. 

During his time in captivity, Mohamed gained high profile backing from civil rights campaigners.

He claimed that MI5 officers were complicit in his treatment, interrogating him after torture in Pakistan and supplying dossiers of questions while he was being interviewed in Morocco.

While in Morocco, he claims his penis was slashed with a scalpel.

It later emerged that MI5 made no attempt to stop his extraordinary rendition by the CIA because they believed such ‘transfers’ were lawful and proper, an admission which raised new questions about the Security Service’s alleged complicity in torture. 

Mohamed was said to have received one of the biggest payouts from the government following the £20m deal. 

Moazzam Begg  

Father-of four Moazzam Begg (pictured) is believed to have received a substantial payout from the government over his detention in the notorious jail 

Father-of four Moazzam Begg (pictured) is believed to have received a substantial payout from the government over his detention in the notorious jail 

Now one of the most high-profile Muslims in Britain, father-of four Moazzam Begg lived in Birmingham where he was a law student and ran an Islamic book and video store.

But, shortly after moving to Afghanistan with his family in 2001, he was detained by the FBI in Pakistan, accused of being a member of Al Qaeda.

Begg was taken first to the US military detention centre at Bagram, Afghanistan — where he says he was abused, claims the Pentagon denies — and then to Guantanamo, where he stayed for three years.

He finally returned to the UK in January 2005 - following 'intensive and complex' negotiations between Britain and the US - when he launched legal action against the Security Service.

Begg is believed to have received up to £1m from the government after successfully claiming that Britain was complicit in his original abduction by U.S. intelligence services, as well as his mistreatment at Bagram.

He was cleared of terrorism charges in 2014 and is now a leading member of the discredited Cage human rights group, which described Mohammed Emwazi – also known as ‘Jihadi John’ – as a ‘beautiful young man’ after he was killed in an airstrike.

He is also an outspoken critic of the 'War on Terror'.   

Shaker Aamer  

Britain’s last Guantanamo detainee Shaker Aamer was released from the Cuban prison in October 2015, serving seven years longer than any other British citizen or resident

Britain’s last Guantanamo detainee Shaker Aamer was released from the Cuban prison in October 2015, serving seven years longer than any other British citizen or resident

Britain’s last Guantanamo detainee, Shaker Aamer was released from the Cuban prison in October 2015, having served seven years longer than any other British citizen or resident.

The Saudi-born father-of-four was first incarcerated in the camp in February 2002 after being arrested in Afghanistan.

Aamer, who had been living in London, always insisted he went there with his family to open a school and run a charity.

But US authorities accused him of being a senior Al Qaeda figure, who they say acted as a ‘special interpreter’ for Osama bin Laden. 

Aamer was then kept at the prison for 14 years, becoming known as ‘Prisoner 239’ as he kept in solitary confinement without ever being charged. He also missed the birth of his youngest son.

Finally, Aamer was flown back to the UK, where he returned to live with his family in Battersea, south west London.  

The US released Mr Aamer on the condition the British would guarantee he posed no threat. 

At the time of his release, it was reported that a £1 million package had already been agreed with the UK government in compensation.

Bisher al-Rawi

Al-Rawi said he was helping the Security Service when he was arrested and sent to Guantanamo

Al-Rawi said he was helping the Security Service when he was arrested and sent to Guantanamo

An Iraqi national and British resident, Mr al-Rawi was reportedly sent to England in 1985, at the age of 16, after his father was arrested by Saddam Hussein's secret police.

He said he was helping the Security Service keep track of London-based radical Muslim cleric Abu Qatada when he was abducted by US agents in Gambia on suspicion of links to terrorism, alongside his friend Jamil el Banna. 

After being detained in Kabul, al-Rawi was taken to Guantanamo where he was held for four years, before being released in 2007.

MI5 told the CIA they did not want him arrested and the incident was said to have damaged relations between the two countries.

On his return, he claimed he was wrongly held at Guantánamo and Bagram and that he was tortured during his detention.  He was one of those who was expected to have received a payout. 

Jamil el Banna

A Jordanian who lived in north-west London since 1994, Jamil el- Banna was arrested in Gambia in November 2002 alongside his best friend Bisher al-Rawi

A Jordanian who lived in north-west London since 1994, Jamil el- Banna was arrested in Gambia in November 2002 alongside his best friend Bisher al-Rawi

A Jordanian who lived in north-west London since 1994, Banna was arrested in Gambia in November 2002 alongside his best friend Bisher al-Rawi.

He was alleged to have been associated with Al Qaeda through their connection with the London-based radical Muslim cleric Abu Qatada.

During his captivity, the Government refused to help Mr Banna because he was a British citizen. He was eventually released in December 2007 and claimed he had been unfairly treated. 

It is widely reported that he is one of those to have received compensation over his claims.  

Richard Belmar

A Muslim convert from North London, Belmar was arrested in Pakistan in 2002.

US officials said he had received weapons training and contacted Osama Bin Laden.

He was returned to the UK in January 2005 when he launched legal action against the Security Service.

He is one of the seven detainees who in 2010 was widely reported to have received a payout.  

Richard Belmar is one of the Guantanamo detainees who is widely reported to have received compensation from the Government 

Richard Belmar is one of the Guantanamo detainees who is widely reported to have received compensation from the Government 

Omar Deghayes

British resident Deghayes was granted refugee status from Libya in 1980s.

He was arrested in 2002 in Afghanistan after supposedly appearing on jihadi internet videos for Islamic struggle against Russia in Chechnya, but his lawyers argued that it was someone else.

Omar Deghayes (pictured) was kept prisoner until he was returned from Guantanamo in 2007 when he launched legal proceedings against the government

Omar Deghayes (pictured) was kept prisoner until he was returned from Guantanamo in 2007 when he launched legal proceedings against the government

Deghayes was kept prisoner until he was returned from Guantanamo in 2007 when he launched legal proceedings against the government. 

He lost an eye during his captivity at the US naval base and is believed to be one of the detainees who received a substantial payout from the government.

In early 2008, he was re-arrested in Brighton on a Spanish extradition warrant linked to 2004 Madrid bomb attack but the request was dropped. 

His three nephews later went to Syria to join ISIS. Two were killed - Abdullah Deghayes, 18, who was by a sniper in Lakatia in April 2014 and Jaffar Deghayes, who died fighting six months later.    

Martin Mubanga  

Martin Mubanga, an amateur boxer and lifelong Arsenal supporter, spent 33 months in Guantanamo Bay 

Martin Mubanga, an amateur boxer and lifelong Arsenal supporter, spent 33 months in Guantanamo Bay 

With dual citizenship of Zambia and Britain, Martin Mubanga, an amateur boxer and lifelong Arsenal supporter, was arrested while on holiday in Zambia in 2002 after visiting Afghanistan and Pakistan.

In Africa, he claimed to have been interrogated by a British man who said he was an MI6 official. 

They allegedly told him that his UK passport, which he had reported stolen, was found in an Al Qaeda cave in Afghanistan. He was sent to Guantanamo Bay and held for 33 months before his release in January 2005.

On his return, the former motorcycle courier, who was raised as a Catholic before converting to Islam in his 20s, claimed that Britain was instrumental in subsequent ill-treatment. 

Mubanga launched legal action and is one of the men widely reported to have received a significant compensation package from government coffers.

Feroz Abbasi  

A British citizen who moved to south London from Uganda when he was just eight, Feroz Abbasi became the first British national to be detained at Guantanamo Bay.

Abbasi had been brought up a moderate Muslim but gradually became more fervent, becoming a regular attendee at the radical Finsbury Park mosque in 2000.

When he was 23, he was arrested in Kunduz, Afghanistan, by Northern Alliance forces in 2001 and handed over to U.S. troops, who shipped him to Guantanamo in 2002.

Despite repeated claims he would face a U.S. military tribunal, Abbasi was repatriated to Britain just under three years later along with Moazzam Begg, Martin Mubanga and Richard Belmar. He was then released when no charges were brought. 

Feroz Abbasi (pictured), who was brought up a moderate Muslim but gradually became more fervent and attending the radical Finsbury Park mosque, spent three years in Guantanamo 

Feroz Abbasi (pictured), who was brought up a moderate Muslim but gradually became more fervent and attending the radical Finsbury Park mosque, spent three years in Guantanamo 

Abbasi always maintained that he had moved to Afghanistan to pursue his Islamic studies and was one of the detainees who was believed to have received a substantial payout from the government.

But legal documents filed in the US in 2014 revealed that an Al Qaeda 'supergrass' had told officials that Abbasi had travelled to Afghanistan with the help of extremist cleric Abu Hamza 'to receive jihad training'.

At the time, Robin Simcox, an expert in al-Qaeda matters, described the Abbasi pay-off as 'troubling'.

Questions were raised over why the UK was prepared to pay compensation to Abbasi when they had hard evidence that he had been at the heart of a terrorist organisation which was planning attacks on the West.

Following his return to Britain, Abbasi enrolled at a London university and married, later becoming a father. He has since worked with Cage, alongside Begg.

Ahmed Errachidi  

Ahmed Errachidi, also known as Ahmed Rashidi, was a Moroccan-born London chef who said he left England for the Middle East due to visa problems.

While in Pakistan, he started a business smuggling silver and, when there was bombing in Afghanistan, said he crossed over the border hoping to help.

But, when he was involved in a car accident and arrested, he was handed over to US soldiers and shipped out to Guantanamo Bay. 

Ahmed Errachidi was a Moroccan-born London chef who was released from Guantanamo in April 2007 

Ahmed Errachidi was a Moroccan-born London chef who was released from Guantanamo in April 2007 

The CIA say he had attended an Al Qaeda terror camp where he received training in weapons and bomb-making techniques, charges he denied. 

While there, he was dubbed ‘the General’ by his captors because of how he organised protests and resistance at the camp. 

Ahmed was released in April 2007 after being represented by Reprieve. He also launched a legal battle against the government and went on to write a book about his experiences. 

Jamal Abdullah Kiyemba, a former pharmacy student who grew up in London and converted to Islam when he was 20, was held at Guantanamo Bay for four years

Jamal Abdullah Kiyemba, a former pharmacy student who grew up in London and converted to Islam when he was 20, was held at Guantanamo Bay for four years

Jamal Abdullah Kiyemba  

Kiyemba, a former pharmacy student who grew up in London and converted to Islam when he was 20, was held at Guantanamo Bay for four years .

He came to Britain as a teenager but never applied for citizenship. As such, during his time at the notorious prison, he was not entitled to representation by the Foreign Office nor to automatic rights to return to his family on his release. 

Kiyemba had been arrested near Peshawar in Pakistan in March 2002, after allegedly trying to enter Afghanistan in the company of 'a probable Al Qaeda operative'.

He claims he had gone to Pakistan to study Arabic and the Koran because the country was 'very cheap'. 

His case was championed by Muslim human rights group CAGE, whose director infamously branded ISIS executioner Mohammed 'Jihadi John' an 'extremely gentle, kind, beautiful young man'.  

Following his 2006 release, he claimed he had only admitted to terrorist activities under torture by American intelligence officers and that he had been interrogated by MI5. 

It was reported that he was awarded up to £1m in compensation.

In April 2015, Kiyembi was held over the terrorist killing of top female prosecutor Joan Kagezi, who was killed in front of her children in Kampala, Uganda, days before a major trial against Islamist terror network Al-Shabaab.

Police later said they had no direct evidence of his involvement.  

Ruhal Ahmed, Asif Iqbal and Shafiq Rasul

These British citizens from the West Midlands became known as the 'Tipton Three' after being picked up by U.S. forces in Afghanistan in 2001.

Ruhal Ahmed, Asif Iqbal and Shafiq Rasul were returned to UK March 2004, alongside al-Harith, when all three sued the British Security Service.

Four years later, Ahmed and Rasul agreed to undergo MRI scans for a documentary called Lie Lab: Tourist of Terrorist? which looked at cutting edge lie-detector technology.

These British citizens  - Ruhal Ahmed (left), Asif Iqbal (centre) and Shafiq Rasul (right) from the West Midlands became known as the 'Tipton Three' after being picked up by US forces in Afghanistan in 2001

But, Rasul pulled out halfway through the documentary, claiming he was spooked by police counter-terrorism raids in his neighbourhood.

Ahmed continues with the test and the results are inconclusive. He later says that he did go to a terrorist training camp in Afghanistan, where he handled weapons, but that he only wound up there only because he was swept along by the chaos of a country at war.  

Abdennour Sameur was arrested in the Afghan mountains and claimed he had fled the UK because it was impossible to live as a 'good Muslim'

Abdennour Sameur was arrested in the Afghan mountains and claimed he had fled the UK because it was impossible to live as a 'good Muslim'

Abdennour Sameur  

Abdennour Sameur is a British resident who was granted refugee status from Algeria in 1999.

Two years later he was arrested in the mountains between Pakistan and Afghanistan, in the company of a gang of Arabs. 

He claimed it was impossible to live as a 'good Muslim' in Britain.

After serving time in Guantanmo, he was returned to UK, where he filed a compensation claim against the government.  

Tarek Dergoul

A British citizen from East London, Dergoul was captured in the Tora Bora mountains in Afghanistan, where the Taliban fled following 2001 American invasion.

He claimed he had originally travelled to Pakistan to study Arabic before entering Afghanistan looking to buy land and develop properties before selling them on for a profit after the war. 

He was sent to the Cuban prison but was returned to the UK in 2004 and launched legal action against UK and U.S. governments. 

It later emerged that, in the summer of 2011, Dergoul went to Portugal with Mohammed Emwazi - otherwise known as Jihadi John - to meet an Syrian terror suspect. 

He said the British security services did know about his relationship with Emwazi and he was vocal in his condemnation of the terrorist. 

Last year, it was reported that he received a share of the £20m compensation pot from the government.  

 

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