Ballet dancer turned al-Qaeda terror suspect asks to ‘live happily ever after’ in Robin Hood’s Sherwood Forest
Ravil Mingazov who has spent 14 years behind bars without charge now wants to be reunited with his family
AN AL-QAEDA terror suspect detained in Guantanamo Bay wants to move to Britain and "live happily ever after' in Robin Hood's home of Sherwood Forest.
Former ballet dancer Ravil Mingazov has spent 14 years behind bars without charge in Cuba but wants to be reunited with his family in Nottingham.
He is understood to have made his request for asylum to the Home Office.
And his dream to live like Robin Hood with his ex-wife and teen son could soon come true after the 48 year-old was approved for release by the US authorities.
Mingazov is applying for a visa to stay in the UK with his lawyers claiming he is “no threat” and should be re-united with his family.
Despite being locked up at the US detention camp in Cuba, the Russian has never faced a jury over his alleged terrorist links.
But US parole board documents state that he has fought for the Taliban and attended training camps in Afghanistan.
Mingazov solicitors claim he was "in the wrong place at the wrong time" when Pakistani authorities stormed an al-Qaeda safe house in Pakistan, in March 2002, and made arrests.
He was among more than 700 detainees who were sent to Guantanamo before 2004. Just 76 remain and of those, 32 have now been cleared for release.
Mingazov’s lawyer Gary Thompson, based in Washington, said: "I can think of no better country on Earth than England to receive him. It has a wonderful record of accepting ethnic minorities like Ravil.
"He was never charged, he was held for nothing. He was labelled as 'enemy combatant'. Ravil is not a threat and we, the US, can let him go.
"We have filed an asylum petition. We have got to work to convince the UK Home Office to accept and receive Ravil.
“If they say yes, then it's a plane ride, then we will fly him to England and we welcome Ravil to free soil and reunite him with his family and he lives happily ever after in Sherwood Forest."
Mingazov's defence team have filed a petition for asylum to allow him to live in Nottingham.
Previously he worked as a ballet dancer, in passport control and catering for the Army before converting to Islam, according to official documents.
On Monday, the US parole board for Guantanamo set up by the Obama administration - approved his release from the US base.
His former wife and other in-laws currently living in the UK under political asylum "have written numerous letters pledging to support Ravil on his release".
A detainee profile provided by the Secretariat, in which Mingazov is referred to as RS-702, says his feelings had led to him to seek out extremist groups.
He had been arrested in Faisalabad at an al-Qaeda-affiliated safehouse associated with senior facilitator Abu Zubaydah.
The profile says he "probably joined the IMU (the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan) and trained in Tajikistan until early 2001, when the group was forced to leave and collectively travelled to Afghanistan".
It adds that Mingazov "probably attended several training camps in Afghanistan where he learned to make explosives, poisons and chemical grenades".
"RS-702 has admitted to fighting with the Taliban against the Northern Alliance, but said he did not fight against Americans", it said.
Mr Thompson said: "Ravil's son and other family members now residing in Nottingham, England would receive Ravil with open arms (assuming, we hope the United Kingdom sees fit to accept an asylum petition)."
“We are very excited about England - you all have such great welfare programmes which have placements - we would certainly jump at the chance to work in the food industry, or pretty much all kinds of things."
A Nottinghamshire Police spokesman said: "We are aware of Mr Mingazov and are monitoring the situation and his legal status."