THE GUARDIAN: Supporters claim 'Bin Laden's right-hand man' held / Preacher faces judge over breach of bail conditions
Abu Qatada, once described by a Spanish judge as Osama bin Laden's right-hand man in Europe, has been arrested in Britain, supporters said.
The Palestinian-Jordanian preacher was arrested for breaching his strict bail conditions after the authorities received a tip-off that he was planning to flee the country, according to the Sun.
The website of the London-based Islamic Observatory Centre said: "British police on Saturday morning detained brother Omar Mahmud Abu Omar (Abu Qatada)."
Qatada, who was convicted in his absence in Jordan of involvement with terror attacks in 1998 and of a millennium bomb plot, was released on bail in June from a maximum security prison in Worcestershire. Judges ruled he would not get a fair trial in Amman.
The Home Office said it could not comment on individual cases but it is believed that Qatada will appear before a special immigration judge tomorrow. >>> Haroon Siddique | November 10, 2008
THE TELEGRAPH: Why Are We Stopping Abu Qatada Leaving the UK?
News that Abu Qatada, once described as Osama bin Laden’s 'right-hand man in Europe', has been arrested for trying to leave the country is utterly baffling.
Qatada was locked up without trial in 2001 precisely because we were not allowed to throw him out of the country.
Article three of the European Convention on Human Rights prevented Britain deporting him.
After he had been in prison for several years, the courts then ruled that he could not be held indefinitely without trial, since that is obviously a breach of his rights, too. So he was released from jail and has been living under curfew in London.
The cost of the litigation and Qatada’s incarceration has been astronomical. In addition, the taxpayer has picked up the bill for benefits to look after him and his family.
If Qatada was planning to leave the country – apparently bound for Lebanon - it must call into question all the arguments made by his lawyers to block his deportation and the decisions of the courts to thwart it. COMMENT HERE >>> | November 10, 2008
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