Radical Muslim cleric freed on bail in Britain after court ruling

Feb 13, 2012, 22:12 GMT

London - A radical Muslim cleric who has spent most of the past decade in prison in Britain without charge or trial was freed Monday amid continued efforts by the government to deport him to Jordan, government sources said.

The release of Abu Qatada, 52, follows a ruling last month by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg that he cannot be deported to Jordan because of the risk that evidence obtained by torture might be used against him in a future trial.

Following that ruling on January 17, a Special Immigration Appeals Commission in Britain said Qatada must be freed on bail. The cleric was released from Long Lartin jail, near Birmingham, amidst tough bail conditions late Monday, the Press Association said.

Meanwhile, the British government has engaged in frantic efforts to obtain new assurances from Jordan that would comply with the ECHR ruling and make his deportation possible.

'We are committed to removing him (Qatada) from the country. We want to see him deported and we are looking at all the options for doing that,' a spokesman for Prime Minister David Cameron said Monday.

Cameron made the issue one of top level diplomacy last week when he telephoned King Abdullah of Jordan, expressing his 'frustration' with the European court.

Both men greed on 'finding an effective solution to this case, in the interest of both Britain and Jordan,' a British spokesman said.

British diplomats are travelling to Jordan this week, hoping to gain assurances that future evidence to be used against Qatada in a trial has not been 'obtained through torture.'

Under a so-called memorandum of understanding, Jordan has already given assurances that Qatada will not suffer 'mistreatment.'

Qatada, a Palestinian-Jordanian who came to Britain in 1993, has been described as 'al-Qaeda's right hand man in Europe.' He was first arrested in Britain in 2002 and has been tried in absentia in Jordan for attacks on western and Israeli targets.

He was arrested and released several times, but has never been charged or tried in Britain, where the government says he poses a 'threat to national security.'

His strict bail conditions mean that Qatada will only be allowed to leave his home for an hour twice a day, wear an electronic tag and have no access to the internet, a mobile phone or a travel pass. He will also be barred from visiting mosques.

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