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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| UK requests Guantanamo releases | UK requests Guantanamo releases |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| The UK government has requested the release of five British residents from US custody at Guantanamo Bay. | The UK government has requested the release of five British residents from US custody at Guantanamo Bay. |
| The men are not British citizens but lived in the UK before they were arrested and detained. | The men are not British citizens but lived in the UK before they were arrested and detained. |
| The request is a change of policy for the government which had previously said it could not intercede for non-British citizens. | The request is a change of policy for the government which had previously said it could not intercede for non-British citizens. |
| Foreign Secretary David Miliband formally wrote to his US counterpart Condoleezza Rice with the request. | Foreign Secretary David Miliband formally wrote to his US counterpart Condoleezza Rice with the request. |
| The Foreign Office named the five men as Shaker Aamer, Jamil El Banna, Omar Deghayes, Binyam Mohamed and Abdennour Sameur. | |
| They were former UK residents who had either been granted refugee status, indefinite leave or exceptional leave to remain prior to their detention. | |
| The Foreign Office said "discussions with the US government about the release and return of these five men may take some time". | |
| "The government will of course continue to take all necessary measures to maintain national security. | |
| "Should these men be returned to the UK, the same security considerations and actions will apply to them as would apply to any other foreign national in this country." |