UK man charged at Guantanamo Bay

Binyam Mohamed came to the UK as an asylum seeker in 1994

The only remaining British resident to be held in Guantanamo Bay has been charged with war crimes, American military prosecutors have confirmed.

Binyam Mohamed was charged despite a request from the British government to release him.

If convicted of conspiring to commit terrorism, the 29-year-old from west London could face the death penalty.

Lawyers representing Mr Mohamed say the evidence against him was obtained through torture.

The charges must be approved by the Pentagon official who oversees the tribunal system before he faces court.

'Repeatedly tortured'

The US charge sheet alleges he travelled to Afghanistan in May 2001 and trained at an al-Qaeda camp.

It says he then accepted instructions from al-Qaeda leader Khalid Sheikh Mohammed to conduct terror operations in the US.

Mr Mohamed's lawyers have said he was repeatedly tortured in Morocco and are trying to force the British government to release documents to prove this.

Foreign Secretary David Miliband formally wrote to his US counterpart Condoleezza Rice in August 2007, asking for Mr Mohamed's release.

Mr Mohamed first came to Britain as an asylum seeker in 1994, aged 16. His asylum claim was never finally determined, but he was given leave to remain and went on to work as a cleaner in west London.

His lawyers say he travelled to Afghanistan and Pakistan in 2001 in a bid to resolve personal issues after developing a drug problem.

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