General Pinochet, the former Chilean dictator, appeared set for flight from Britain last night as the Home Secretary, Mr Jack Straw, indicated that on medical grounds he could not be detained further.
The Spanish government, which has been seeking Gen. Pinochet's extradition, and associated governments, have seven days to seek a judicial review to challenge the Home Secretary's decision to free the general.
The Home Office view was that four doctors who examined Gen. Pinochet last week had unanimously decided that he was unfit to stand trial and the Home Secretary, Mr Straw, indicated that he was consequently "minded" to let him go home.
The general, who remains under 24-hour armed guard in a rented house on the Wentworth Estate in Surrey, was said to be "delighted" by the news, which could mark the beginning of the end of an extraordinary legal saga triggered by his arrest in a London hospital more than a year ago.
His supporters, led by former prime minister Lady Thatcher, also welcomed the news. Baroness Thatcher said: "I would trust the Home Secretary's judgment. He is a very fair man."
A spokeswoman for Amnesty International said she acknowledged that everyone had the legal right to have their fitness to stand trial assessed.
She added, however, that Amnesty would be checking carefully to ensure that the processes for arriving at the decision had been followed properly.
In parliament, Mr Michael Howard, a former Conservative home secretary, said: "It is a pity Jack Straw did not ask for these [medical] reports months ago and reach the same conclusion months ago."
But there was anger and disappointment among Labour MPs.
Ms Diane Abbott said: "This is monstrous. There will be a lot of concern among the public about this."
And Mr George Galloway said: "I am not surprised to hear this, and much as I regard Pinochet as a blood-soaked tyrant, if the doctors say he is unfit to stand trial then he is unfit to stand trial."
In Chile, Mr Alberto Cardemil, president of the right-wing National Renovation Party, told local radio: "It is very positive news. There is no doubt that the majority of the country wanted a solution to this problem that affects Chile's sovereignty."
Earlier yesterday, at a joint press conference with the Spanish Foreign Minister, Mr Abel Matutes, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mrs Mary Robinson, had hailed the move to extradite Gen. Pinochet as a milestone for human rights.