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The US is preparing to release or transfer many of the 549 detainees who are currently being held at the country's naval base at Guantánamo Bay in Cuba, a senior US defence official has told the Financial Times.
The official said "a significant portion will gradually be transferred or released" as part of a restructuring of the camp. This will include the construction of a new prison at the base, in which the US intends to hold long-term prisoners.
Among those expected to be transferred are four British citizens, whose detention has been a source of friction between the White House and its closest foreign ally. According to a senior UK counter-terrorism official, an announcement regarding the transfer of the British detainees "is expected within the next couple of weeks".
The UK official did not say whether the four would be prosecuted on terrorism charges on their return to Britain.