BRITAIN/SPAIN: Britain's top policeman, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir John Stevens, has warned of a "definite link" between suspects arrested in connection with the Madrid bombings and extremists based in the United Kingdom.
His warning came as the war of words continued over allegations by the American Embassy in London against four of the five Britons released last week from Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. A lawyer for one of the four said he could not rule out possible legal action against the embassy's press counsellor, Mr Lee McClenny, after his detailed claim to the Sun newspaper that the four were all trained Taliban or al-Qaeda fighters.
Lawyers for all four men have claimed that information, including "confessions" concerning their presence and activities in Afghanistan in autumn 2001, was obtained as a result of a regime of "torture" and "duress" at Guantanamo. It has also been reported that it was the British security service, MI5, which established - contrary to American belief - that the men were not in Afghanistan in the previous autumn 2000.
Anti-terrorist police interviewed the four men following their return to the UK and released them without charge to undisclosed addresses.
And while apparently refusing requests for broadcast interviews yesterday, the British Home Secretary, Mr David Blunkett, again confirmed he stood by his assessment - based on briefings by the intelligence services - that the men pose no threat to the safety or security of the country. However they appeared to be still in a "legal black hole" as the Sun followed-up Thursday's front-page story declaring "Enemy On Our Streets" with MPs demanding "Lock Them Up".
The father of one of the former detainees, Mr Riasoth Ahmed, has said his son Ruhal (22) has become a "fugitive", too scared to return home. And yesterday his solicitor, Mr Greg Powell, told the BBC that the American Embassy's statement to the newspaper "must be part of a strategy" designed to discredit those released "because of criticisms of American activities at Guantanamo Bay".
Earlier this week the police commissioner confirmed that British anti-terrorist officers were in Spain to draw lessons from the Madrid bombings but said there was no question of importing the investigation into the bombings to Britain.
Yesterday Sir John Stevens told the London Independent newspaper he thought there was a "definite link" to the UK and was looking into possible financial and logistical connections.