Guantanamo terror convict to be freed

Adelaide, Australia: Convicted terror supporter David Hicks is going to be set free on Saturday after spending more than six years in Guantanamo Bay and Australia.

Hicks, however, will face strict controls on his movements after a court found he is still a security risk because of his terrorism training and meetings with Osama Bin Laden.

Hicks was captured in December 2001. He confessed to aiding Al Qaida in Afghanistan and during the terror attacks on New York in September 11, 2001.

A US military tribunal sentenced Hicks to seven years in prison, with all but nine months being suspended, after he confessed to aiding Al Qaida.

Under a plea bargain, Hicks was allowed to serve the remainder of his sentence at a maximum security prison in his hometown of Adelaide, Australia, but was
told to remain silent about any alleged abuse he suffered while in custody.

His case became a cause for rights campaigners in Australia critical of the government for letting an Australian citizen spend so long behind bars without trial.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said on Friday that Hicks would not be given special treatment and would have to comply with restrictions placed on him by a court at the request of Australian federal police.

Under the court order, Hicks must report to police three times a week and obey a curfew by staying indoors at locations decided by police. He will not be allowed to leave Australia within a year or contact a list of terror suspects.