British jihadi who was freed from Guantanamo Bay 'has fled to Syria to join Al Qaeda'

• Abu Mugheera Al-Britain, meaning 'from Britain', wrote about his stint in the jail 
• His real identity has not been established but there were 16 Brits in Guantanamo
• It will fuel concern that freed terror suspects have not changed their ways 
• He follows Jamal al-Harith - another UK ex-inmate - who joined ISIS in October  

A jihadi from Britain who claims to be a former Guantanamo Bay detainee has fled to Syria where he is now fighting for Al Qaeda.

The terrorist – who has dubbed himself Abu Mugheera Al-Britani, meaning ‘from Britain’ – has written in detail about his experience in the notorious US prison camp.

Although Al-Britani’s real identity has not been established, at least 16 UK nationals and residents were held at the military camp in Cuba.

A jihadi from Britain who claims to be a former Guantanamo Bay detainee has fled to Syria where he is now fighting for Al Qaeda

His account will fuel concerns that some freed terror suspects have not abandoned their fanatical ideology and could remain a threat to the public. It will also raise fears that compensation paid to former inmates is helping to fund terror campaigns.

All the UK-related Guantanamo inmates have now been released and, between them, have received a total of £20 million in High Court compensation paid for by the British taxpayer. 

The money was handed over after detainees sued MI5 and MI6 for complicity in their alleged torture at the hands of the Americans.

Al-Britani claims he ‘spent years’ at Guantanamo Bay, where more than 700 of the world’s most dangerous Islamic terrorists were imprisoned in the aftermath of 9/11.

In an online magazine for fanatics, he writes: ‘Sitting in the blessed land of al-Shaam [Greater Syria], reflecting on those weeks and days spent behind bars, I thank Allah for releasing me and providing me with the opportunity of carrying out jihad in his path again.’

Al-Britani is the second British ex-Guantanamo detainee known to have fled to Syria to join jihadi groups. In October, it was reported that Muslim convert Jamal al-Harith, from Manchester, had fled to Syria to join Islamic State (IS). 

At the time, he was reportedly fighting near Aleppo.

Muslim convert Jamal al-Harith, from Manchester, had fled to Syria to join Islamic State (IS)

Al-Harith was released from Guantanamo in 2004 after being detained for two years. He was arrested in Kandahar by US troops in February 2002. 

Al-Harith received around £1 million in compensation from the Government, which he is feared to have spent to flee to Syria – as well as fund jihad.

Al-Britani, who claims to be in his 30s, says he was in Afghanistan when the US-led 

coalition invaded the country in 2001.

He claims that he was based in the Tora Bora mountains when US troops arrived hunting for then Al Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden. Al-Britani and ten others were ordered to cross into Pakistan, where locals would help them travel to Lahore.

When the militants arrived, they were met by Pakistani soldiers, who told them they would escort them. But the next day, the troops drove the jihadis to a military camp and imprisoned them, later handing them to the Americans.

The Foreign Office said last night it could not ascertain who Abu Mugheera was.