Bailed terrorist suspect says he may return to Algeria

A terrorist suspect living under restrictive bail conditions requiring him to stay at home for 22 hours every day has signalled that he – and five others – are considering returning to Algeria. The 39-year-old man, who is known simply as “A”, has accused the British government of subjecting him to mental torture and said that he has opened negotiations with the Algerian embassy to arrange his voluntary return.

“I don’t want to live like this. I’m useless to my kids, to society and to my community. I can’t work, I can’t even do the shopping for my wife,” he told the Press Association. “If I’m not going to have my freedom in this country then I have to go back. A human being can’t take all this. Even if there is a risk, I have to take that risk. Here we are not tortured physically but mentally we are tortured. I am the cause of suffering for my children.”

Guardian, 20 March 2006