A man accused of kidnapping, who was released in the deal to end the Indian airline hijacking, can return to the UK, the Foreign Office says.
Islamic militant Ahmad Omar Sayyed Sheikh, 26, from east London, was freed on New Year's Eve at the end of the eight-day hijacking and will be able to claim consular help in re-entering the country.
He had been held in Delhi since 1994 on charges of kidnapping three Britons, Rhys Patridge, Paul Rideout and Miles Croston, on the orders of Harkat-Ul-Ansar, (HUA) a Pakistan-based Islamic fundamentalist organisation.
The three, who were backpacking at the time, alleged they had been lured to a house near Delhi by an English-speaking student where they were held for weeks.
They were released after a gun battle between the Indian police and their captors - it was claimed that the kidnapper's intention was to swap the three men for jailed militants demanding Kashmiri independence.
Sheikh's family insisted at the time that he was innocent and said he had been unfairly targeted by Indian police.
A Foreign Office spokesman said that Sheikh had the right to return to the UK.
He said: "This man is a British national. He has not contacted us but obviously, if he was to contact us, and asked us for passport facilities, then provided he could prove who he was, then obviously, we would issue him with a passport."
He said: "He has not been convicted of any offences. He has not even been brought to trial."
Sheikh was freed following the hijacking along with Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar, chief commander of the rebel group Ul-Umar Mujahideen, and Pakistani religious leader Masood Azhar.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Maybe we will now get postings stating "In the name of Christianity"
[This message has been edited by ehsan (edited January 03, 2000).]
Islamic militant Ahmad Omar Sayyed Sheikh, 26, from east London, was freed on New Year's Eve at the end of the eight-day hijacking and will be able to claim consular help in re-entering the country.
He had been held in Delhi since 1994 on charges of kidnapping three Britons, Rhys Patridge, Paul Rideout and Miles Croston, on the orders of Harkat-Ul-Ansar, (HUA) a Pakistan-based Islamic fundamentalist organisation.
The three, who were backpacking at the time, alleged they had been lured to a house near Delhi by an English-speaking student where they were held for weeks.
They were released after a gun battle between the Indian police and their captors - it was claimed that the kidnapper's intention was to swap the three men for jailed militants demanding Kashmiri independence.
Sheikh's family insisted at the time that he was innocent and said he had been unfairly targeted by Indian police.
A Foreign Office spokesman said that Sheikh had the right to return to the UK.
He said: "This man is a British national. He has not contacted us but obviously, if he was to contact us, and asked us for passport facilities, then provided he could prove who he was, then obviously, we would issue him with a passport."
He said: "He has not been convicted of any offences. He has not even been brought to trial."
Sheikh was freed following the hijacking along with Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar, chief commander of the rebel group Ul-Umar Mujahideen, and Pakistani religious leader Masood Azhar.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Maybe we will now get postings stating "In the name of Christianity"
[This message has been edited by ehsan (edited January 03, 2000).]
Comment