Skip to main content

Britain denies bail to radical cleric who faces deportation

Radical Muslim cleric Abu Qatada could be deported to Jordan to face trial on terrorism charges within weeks, a British court heard on Monday, and it ruled he should remain in jail in the meantime to prevent him from absconding.

Abu Qatada's deportation to Jordan, which the British government has been trying to achieve for eight years, is expected to take place within weeks when Jordan ratifies a new treaty with Britain, according to evidence shown to the court.

 

London says Abu Qatada, who is accused of spreading radical ideas that inspired one of the September 11, 2001 hijackers, poses a national security risk, but he has never been charged with any offence in Britain.

The British courts have repeatedly blocked his deportation on the grounds that a trial in Jordan risked being tainted by evidence obtained using torture.

Britain announced last month it had signed a new treaty with Jordan aimed at addressing those concerns.

"There is a prospect of a treaty coming into force ... (that) raises the prospect of his acquittal relative to what we say are tainted charges," said Danny Friedman, a lawyer for Abu Qatada, during the bail application hearing.

Friedman said there was no risk Abu Qatada would abscond as he was satisfied that once the treaty was in force the safest thing for him and his family to do would be to return to Jordan to face trial.

Jordan convicted Abu Qatada in his absence of encouraging militants there who planned bomb attacks in 1999 and 2000, but under a 2005 agreement between Amman and London he will be retried if he eventually returns.

He has been in and out of jail in Britain since first being arrested in 2001 and in recent years has been living at a house in London under tight bail conditions including a 16-hour curfew and a ban on using any telecommunications equipment.

"JIHADIST FILES"

The cleric, a Jordanian of Palestinian origin, was sent back to jail in March after police found 17 mobile phones, 3 USB sticks, five digital mobile devices and 55 recordable CDs or DVDs in his house.

Judge Stephen Irwin told the hearing at a special immigration tribunal that bail was denied for two main reasons - that the breaches of bail terms discovered in March were serious and that there was a risk Abu Qatada might abscond.

"He is highly intelligent, has a range of sympathetic and supportive contacts, and his risk to national security is undiminished," Irwin said.

Robin Tam, representing the British government at the bail hearing, cited a court judgment labeling Abu Qatada "a truly dangerous individual" with a significant extremist following, and said there was no reason to believe this had changed.

Citing an assessment provided by the British ambassador to Jordan, Tam said the treaty guaranteeing a trial untainted by torture would be ratified "within a matter of weeks".

Tam told the court one of the USB sticks found in the bedroom of Abu Qatada's eldest son contained "jihadist files" including a video made by "the media wing of al Qaeda".

_0">

Tam also said that 5,000 pounds ($7,600) in cash was found in the house, raising fears that the cleric could be preparing to abscond as the prospect of deportation nears.

_1">

Friedman said Abu Qatada himself had not been using the devices found at his home, which belonged to his four children, and the money was to pay for one of his daughters' school fees.

_2">

"He has been deprived of his liberty for longer than any other non-convicted person in modern British history," he said.

_3">

(Editing by Pravin Char)

_4">

Popular posts from this blog

Study Abroad USA, College of Charleston, Popular Courses, Alumni

Thinking for Study Abroad USA. School of Charleston, the wonderful grounds is situated in the actual middle of a verifiable city - Charleston. Get snatched up by the wonderful and customary engineering, beautiful pathways, or look at the advanced steel and glass building which houses the School of Business. The grounds additionally gives students simple admittance to a few major tech organizations like Amazon's CreateSpace, Google, TwitPic, and so on. The school offers students nearby as well as off-grounds convenience going from completely outfitted home lobbies to memorable homes. It is prepared to offer different types of assistance and facilities like clubs, associations, sporting exercises, support administrations, etc. To put it plainly, the school grounds is rising with energy and there will never be a dull second for students at the College of Charleston. Concentrate on Abroad USA is improving and remunerating for your future. The energetic grounds likewise houses various

Best MBA Online Colleges in the USA

“Opportunities never open, instead we create them for us”. Beginning with this amazing saying, let’s unbox today’s knowledge. Love Business and marketing? Want to make a high-paid career in business administration? Well, if yes, then mate, we have got you something amazing to do!   We all imagine an effortless future with a cozy house and a laptop. Well, well! You can make this happen. Today, with this guide, we will be exploring some of the top-notch online MBA universities and institutes in the USA. Let’s get started! Why learn Online MBA from the USA? Access to More Options This online era has given a second chance to children who want to reflect on their careers while managing their hectic schedules. In this, the internet has played a very crucial in rejuvenating schools, institutes, and colleges to give the best education to students across the globe. Graduating with Less Debt Regular classes from high reputed institutes often charge heavy tuition fees. However onl

Sickening moment maskless 'Karen' COUGHS in the face of grocery store customer, then claims she doesn't have to wear a mask because she 'isn't sick'

A woman was captured on camera following a customer through a supermarket as she coughs on her after claiming she does not need a mask because she is not sick.  Video of the incident, which has garnered hundreds of thousands of views on Twitter alone, allegedly took place in a Su per Saver in Lincoln, Nebraska according to Twitter user @davenewworld_2. In it, an unidentified woman was captured dramatically coughing as she smiles saying 'Excuse me! I'm coming through' in the direction of the customer recording her. Scroll down for video An unidentified woman was captured dramatically coughing as she smiles saying 'Excuse me! I'm coming through' in the direction of a woman recording her A woman was captured on camera following a customer as she coughs on her in a supermarket without a mask on claiming she does not need one because she is not sick @chaiteabugz #karen #covid #karens #karensgonewild #karensalert #masks we were just wearing a mask at the store. ¿ o