British pay-out for Gitmo Bay detainees

BRITAIN has agreed to pay hefty settlements to a group of former Guantanamo Bay detainees who sued the government for alleged complicity in their torture — one of the first big pay-outs stemming from the US-led war on terrorism.

After months of legal wrangling, Britain’s spy agencies chose to settle the lawsuit to avoid a pricey and prolonged court case in which open testimony from secret agents could have jeopardised national security, a British government official told The Associated Press yesterday on condition of anonymity.

At least seven former detainees would receive payments and at least one man would receive more than £1 million (€1.7m), according to a second source.