The father of a British student held in Iraq said last night that his son was an adventurer and not a terrorist.

Urslaan Khan, 21, has been arrested in Iraq, on suspicion of trying to join a terrorist group linked to al Qaida.

The Manchester University student is thought to have travelled to the Middle East to join the faction Ansar al-Islam.

Speaking from his home in Yarm, on Teesside, yesterday, his father Abdul said: "My son is just an adventurer and would think nothing of jumping on a bus and travelling to a country like that."

His son was detained by a Kurdish group, suspected of trying to join terrorists fighting coalition forces.

Last night, his father received a message from the Foreign Office.

He said: "I had a short conversation with them and was told their British representative has seen him.

"He passed on a personal message from Urslaan, which said not to worry and he was safe and sound. We just have to leave the situation in other people's hands.

"Of course, it's concerning. We don't know when he will be able to come back, but we hope it is before Christmas."

Mr Khan said he did not know why his son was in the country and he and his wife, Sajida, wanted him home.

A student at Manchester University, Urslaan is taking a degree in Arabic Studies at the Department of Middle Eastern Studies.

The former pupil of Conyers School, Yarm, was spending his third year at the University of Alexandria, in Egypt, studying Arabic.

Mr Khan said that, although his family was anti-war and had taken part in protest marches, his son was a believer in democracy.

Reports said Urslaan travelled to Mosul in northern Iraq, although the reason was unclear. He is being held in Erbil, close to the Syrian border.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "We can't confirm the name of this man, but he is a British national.