Charity fights government in bid to name terror suspect

THE charity Reprieve has launched a legal battle to force the British government to name a suspected terrorist who is being held in Afghanistan.

The man, who Reprieve yesterday said was thought to be Yunus Rahmatullah, was one of two alleged terrorists captured by British soldiers in Iraq in February 2004.

They were handed to the United States authorities, who flew them to Afghanistan, where it is thought they are being held at Bagram airbase.

The Ministry of Defence said the Data Protection Act prevented it from disclosing their names.

David Davis, the former shadow home secretary and civil liberties campaigner, said he believed the identities were being kept secret to avoid political embarrassment.

"If they are bad people, tell us who they are. I think the reason we are not being told is because it's politically embarrassing," he told BBC Radio 4's Today Programme.

"These two people were captured by British troops, and released, I believe, accidentally to the Americans. They deserve a trial."

He added: "It's illegal to kidnap people and move them basically into permanent imprisonment without any recourse to law."