Australia: US detainee's book profits to be seized

A former Guantanamo Bay detainee was told by the Australian government yesterday that it may seize any profits from his autobiography.

David Hicks was jailed at the US base more than five years before a plea deal in 2007 let him return home to serve a nine-month prison sentence. Under Australian law, a person cannot profit from the commercial exploitation of their criminal notoriety.

The Australian newspaper reported that prosecutors have served Hicks with a notice of application for an order to restrain funds. The order will be heard in a New South Wales court next month.