Why we won’t fly Britons back from Syria: They could sue us!

SUSPECTED jihadists in Syrian jails will sue Britain for taxpayers’ millions if we fly them back to Britain, the Defence Secretary said yesterday.

Ben Wallace ruled out picking up British citizens from the war zone, saying they could mount a legal case against the Government for illegal rendition.

He cited the case of Libyan dissident Abdel Hakim Belhaj, whose wife was last year handed £500,000 in compensation after they were the victims of a rendition operation.

Mr Wallace also warned that if the UK did fly these people back, they could escape justice and end up ‘living next door’ – as there is not enough evidence to convict them. His comments came amid a Cabinet rift over whether the Government should bring back the children of British foreign fighters from Syria.

Boris Johnson was open to the idea, but came up against opposition from ministers such as Home Secretary Priti Patel.

It is understood US officials have privately accused the UK of hypocrisy for raising concerns about Guantanamo Bay whilst ministers ‘outsource’ military detention to a Kurdish militia in Syria.

Speaking at a fringe event at the Tory conference in Manchester, Mr Wallace said: ‘If I bring someone back against their will, I’m guilty of rendition... I can’t just swoop into a country and take them out unless it is done under extradition.’

He said the process was not ‘straightforward’ as the UK does not have an extradition treaty with the Syrian regime. Mr Wallace added that those brought to this country for trial will likely say they were ‘illegally rendered’ and ‘we won’t be able to convict them’.

He also said the evidence against those who travelled to Syria could not be heard in a court because the intelligence comes from foreign countries.

Mr Wallace, a former Scots Guard, said the issue surrounding the children of suspected fighters was ‘difficult’.