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U.K. drops terror charges against ex-Guantanamo Bay detainee Moazzam Begg

Former Guantanamo Bay detainee Moazzam Begg has been released from prison after terror charges against him were dropped in Britain upon the police and prosecution's receipt of secret intelligence material that undermined the case.

By JC Finley
Moazzam Begg was released after seven months in prison on terror charges that were dropped on October 1, 2014 for lack of evidence. (Facebook/Cageprisoners)
Moazzam Begg was released after seven months in prison on terror charges that were dropped on October 1, 2014 for lack of evidence. (Facebook/Cageprisoners)

LONDON, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- British authorities announced Wednesday that terror charges against former Guantanamo Bay detainee Moazzam Begg have been dropped.

The decision was made when the police and prosecution received secret intelligence material that undermined the prosecution's case.

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Begg was arrested in February on suspicion of Syrian-related terrorism offenses, including attending a terrorist training camp and facilitating terrorism overseas.

Begg denied the charges and maintained his innocence throughout his detention.

The prosecution explained that it had "recently become aware of relevant material" in the form of secret intelligence material, "in the light of which, after careful and anxious consideration, the conclusion has been reached that there is no longer a realistic prospect of conviction in this case. The prosecution therefore offers no evidence."

"If we had been made aware of all of this information at the time of charging, we would not have charged [Begg]," the Crown Prosecution Service said in a statement.

Britain's Home Office declined to comment on the nature of the information.

Begg welcomed his release, which came days ahead of his scheduled October 6 court date.

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"I need to reconnect with my family again... I need to understand what it's like to be a free man," Begg said before adding "I think that it's important to point out some of the government's failures in its foreign policy and its internal policy: its clearly demonizing of the Muslim community."

His lawyer, Gareth Peirce, expressed a mixture of frustration over his client's ordeal and relief following his ordered release.

"He is a rare individual who will talk to everyone and listen to everyone, even those with whom he profoundly disagrees. He has spent the near decade since he was released from the torture of Bagram and Guantánamo in attempting to wake the world up to injustice and to comprehend its causes and effects. There is nothing new that can have been discovered now that was not always crystal clear -- that this is an innocent man."

Begg, 46, was a detainee at Guantanamo Bay for nearly three years before his January 2005 release. A British citizen from Birmingham, he was returned to the U.K. Since his release, he co-authored a book about his time in Guantanamo and became a public speaker and commentator.

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