LONDON, Feb 9: Britain has apologised to six men close to President Pervez Musharraf for mistakenly detaining them on suspicion of terrorism at London’s Gatwick Airport and holding them for more than 17 hours, officials said on Saturday.

The men — one of whom was identified as Chaudhry Wajahat Hussain, a member of a leading political family — were detained on Jan 22 after flying in from Barcelona, Spain, London’s police said in a statement.

The men were later taken to a London police station, where they were formally arrested by counter-terrorism officers. They were released on Jan 23, after which they left the country, police said.

Chaudhry Wajahat Hussain is the brother of Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, a leading figure in the pro-Musharraf Muslim League-Q.

Britain’s Foreign Office said Chaudhry Wajahat Hussain and his fellow-travellers were arrested “on the basis of information that proved subsequently to be inaccurate.”

It added that the British government “deeply regrets the incident and is sorry for any personal distress that was caused to the individuals concerned.”—AP