US in deal to return Saudi suspects: NYT

Citing senior American and British officials, all who spoke on condition of anonymity, the Times reported the arrangement called for Saudi officials to release five Britons and two others convicted of guerrilla attacks in Saudi Arabia. British diplomats believed they were tortured by Saudi security officers into confessing falsely.

Officials involved in the plan told the Times the transfer of the Saudis from Guantanamo was initially resisted by the Pentagon, the CIA and the Justice Department.

The agencies questioned whether some detainees were too dangerous to send back and whether Saudi promises to keep the men imprisoned could be trusted.

Saying that moving detainees "who posed a threat was a new endeavor," one senior US official who backed the plan maintained it was done cautiously. "It was the first time we were doing this, and people did not want to do it," the newspaper quoted the official as saying.

The Saudi prisoners were transferred to Riyadh, the capital, in May 2003. The five Britons and two others were freed in August.

While there was no indication at the time the releases were related, the Times quoted a US official with knowledge of the negotiations as saying, "There is a link," adding, "This was two courses that converged and had a mutual attractiveness to them."