Briton freed by Cuba arrives home, thanks Castro

LONDON, England (Reuters) -- One of seven Britons released by Cuba after being detained for six weeks on suspicion of breaching national security returned home on Sunday and thanked Cuban President Fidel Castro for intervening personally.

Ken Lodge, who heads a London-based private investigation company, said that Castro's action followed a meeting between Cuban and British officials.

"Apparently there was a recent meeting during the course of the latter part of the week between the Cuban government and the British government as a result of which President Castro intervened in the case and demanded that we be released from prison," he told reporters after flying into Britain.

"We are thankful for that, because we realize the problems that have occurred," he said in remarks broadcast on Sky Television.

The Foreign Office welcomed Havana's decision to let the detainees go.

"Basically the instruction came from the very top and he (Castro) made the final decision," a spokesman said. "Obviously we welcome this decision."

The announcement of the Britons' release came on Saturday. Lodge, five other men and one woman were arrested on October 8 on the Communist-led Caribbean island, reportedly for their work as private detectives for Lodge's company.

They were held on suspicion of having been hired to investigate a case of marital infidelity involving a foreign businessman based in Havana.

Cuban officials told British diplomats that the methods used by the Britons during their private investigation on the island, believed to include covert surveillance, infringed Cuban laws that stringently protect national security.

Before an October 25 consular visit to the Britons was allowed, the Foreign Office had publicly expressed its anger and summoned the Cuban charge d'affaires in London as a sign of protest.

Copyright 2000 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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