The family of a British student being held by US forces in Iraq called on the United States Saturday to hand him over to British authorities.

Mobenn Munef entered Iraq illegally from Syria for "charitable reasons," his family told the BBC. They want his trial to take place in Britain.

"I am angry at the British government for not getting him into British custody," the BBC quoted Munef's brother Amir as saying.

The British Foreign Office has said the trial of Munef is a matter for the Iraqi authorities.

Munef, who had been studying Arabic in Syria before traveling to Iraq, was arrested on Dec. 7 last year in Ramadi, west of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, and was accused of involvement with a gun-running gang.

The 26-year-old is believed to have spent time at the notoriousAbu Ghraib prison camp in Baghdad and his family have had no direct contact with him since his arrest, the BBC said.

Xinhua