THE oldest prisoner at the Guantanamo Bay prison complex in Cuba was released by his US captors and returned to Pakistan on Saturday.

Saifullah Paracha, who is 75 years old, had been in detention without trial since 2003, after being accused of meeting al-Qaida leader Osama Bin Laden and helping to arrange finance for the terrorist attacks in the US on September 11 2001.

In May 2011 Mr Paracha was notified that he had been approved by the US authorities for release, but it has taken this long for him to be reunited with his family in Pakistan.

The notification did not provide detailed reasoning for the decision but concluded that Mr Paracha is “not a continuing threat” to the United States, according to Shelby Sullivan-Bennis, who represented him at his hearing at the time.

Mr Paracha, who lived in the United States and owned property in New York City, was a wealthy businessman in Pakistan. 

He has always denied knowing that two of the conspirators in the September 11 attack, with whom he did business, were part of al-Qaida. He also denied any involvement  in terrorism.

A statement from the Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: “We are glad that a Pakistani citizen detained abroad is finally reunited with his family.”

The US Department of Defence said on Saturday that they appreciated “the willingness of Pakistan and other partners to support ongoing US efforts focused on responsibly reducing the detainee population and ultimately closing the Guantanamo Bay facility.”

Closing the Guantanamo Bay prison was a key pledge of Barack Obama during his first presidency in 2008.

At its peak the complex held nearly 800 prisoners, but it remains open with around 35 still held in detention.

The US seized control of Guantanamo Bay at the end of the Spanish-American war in 1898.