London
British officials this week released an Egyptian man they had been holding for three years without trial. The man, known only as C, was suspected of being a recruiter for the terrorist group Egyptian Islamic Jihad. Britain arrested him in 2001, under new anti-terror laws similar to the USA Patriot Act, but he was never charged or put on trial. Cs lawyer, Natalia Garcia, said she had no idea why he was released. It came completely out of the blue, she said. In effect, the home secretary has now admitted that C is no danger to anyone. Britains highest court, the Law Lords, ruled last month that the 2001 anti-terror laws violated basic rights and would have to be rewritten.
