Taliban Briton may face prosecution

A British Muslim who claimed to have recruited hundreds of volunteers to fight for the Taliban could face prosecution under anti-terrorism laws.

Hassan Butt is reported to have returned to Britain from Pakistan where he claimed to have helped as many as 1,000 recruits to cross into Afghanistan.

He could not be interned under the British government's emergency anti-terrorist legislation, which only covers foreign terrorist suspects, but could still be covered by the Terrorism Act.

"If a non-foreign national was recruiting for the Taliban, they would not be covered by the emergency legislation but there is no reason why they can't be covered by other terrorism legislation," said a Downing Street spokesman said.

"There are different legal instruments that can be brought in different circumstances."

Any decision to arrest Mr Butt - a 22-year-old student from Luton - would be an operational matter for the police.