Surgeon freed after 'dirty bomb' arrest

A British-trained Pakistani surgeon was freed yesterday after nearly a month in secret detention. He says he was interrogated by FBI and CIA agents investigating claims that he helped al-Qa'ida develop radiological and nuclear bombs as well as chemical and biological weapons.

Dr Amir Aziz, 46, an orthopaedic surgeon – whose ordeal confirms American concerns on the nature of the "dirty bombs" and other weapons that al-Qa'ida might be trying to acquire – said the accusations were "the most ludicrous thing I have heard in my life".

He was dropped at his home in the early hours, shortly before a deadline set by a Lahore High Court judge, who had twice ordered the Pakistani Interior Ministry to ensure the doctor was produced.

Dr Aziz, who spent six years at Stanmore Hospital in north-west London, was taken from his home by Pakistani security services and the FBI on 21 October. Yesterday, as he recovered with his family, Dr Aziz said his family was not told where he was or the reason for his detention. He was never charged or allowed access to a lawyer. "They didn't torture me physically, but can you imagine being in one room for a month, being asked questions for eight hours a day?" he said last night. "I told them that I was an orthopaedic surgeon – what do I know about biological and chemical weapons, but they were not prepared to listen to this."

Pakistan's Interior Minister, Moinuddin Haider, has previously said Dr Aziz was being held on information from al-Qa'ida suspects interrogated in the United States.

Dr Aziz said claims, which had circulated in Washington, that he treated Osama bin Laden, the al-Qa'ida leader, were not true. "That was never an allegation at all," he said.