Britain apologizes "unreservedly" for kidnapping of Libyan

Britain has apologised "unreservedly" for its role in the capture of a Libyan dissident who was later tortured by the late dictator Moammar Gadhafi's government.

Attorney General Jeremy Wright says Prime Minister Theresa May has written to Abdel Hakim Belhaj and his wife Fatima Boudchar acknowledging that Britain's actions "contributed to your detention, rendition and suffering." Belhaj, a former fighter in the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group that had opposed Gadhafi, and his wife were kidnapped in Thailand in 2004 and sent to Libya.

They say British intelligence provided information that helped the CIA abduct them and have spent years pursuing British officials through UK courts seeking compensation and an apology.

Boudchar was in the public gallery of the House of Commons on Thursday to hear Wright's apology.