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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Abu Qatada: Cleric refused bail | Abu Qatada: Cleric refused bail |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Radical cleric Abu Qatada has been refused bail by an immigration tribunal in his latest bid for freedom. | Radical cleric Abu Qatada has been refused bail by an immigration tribunal in his latest bid for freedom. |
| His lawyer argued he should be released from prison, where he has been since March, so he could spend more time with his family before leaving the UK. | His lawyer argued he should be released from prison, where he has been since March, so he could spend more time with his family before leaving the UK. |
| Abu Qatada would return to Jordan voluntarily if a fair trial treaty was ratified, his lawyer added. | Abu Qatada would return to Jordan voluntarily if a fair trial treaty was ratified, his lawyer added. |
| However, government lawyers said he remained a dangerous man whose whole family had disregarded bail conditions. | However, government lawyers said he remained a dangerous man whose whole family had disregarded bail conditions. |
| At a hearing of the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (Siac) in London, immigration judge Mr Justice Irwin ruled Abu Qatada must remain in custody. | |
| He has been held at Belmarsh prison in south-east London for two months after he allegedly breached a bail condition which stops him from turning on mobile phones in his house. | |
| In his ruling, Mr Justice Irwin said the breaches were "serious". | |
| He highlighted an instance of jihadist material being found on a memory stick in his son's room, which Abu Qatada had assured them only contained school work. | |
| The judge went on to say there was "no doubt" Abu Qatada presented a national security threat. | |
| "The essence of that is promulgation of his views in support of violence, and the potential effect on others of that promulgation," he said. | |
| Mr Justice Irwin went on: "This appellant has in the past fled in order to avoid a court order, equipping himself with a false passport. | |
| "He is highly intelligent, has a range of sympathetic and supportive contacts, and his risk to national security is undiminished. | |
| "We reject the submission that he can, even now, be relied on to comply with his legal obligations and not to attempt to abscond." | |
| Abu Qatada's lawyer Daniel Friedman QC described his client as a "proud and dignified man" who has been "deprived of his liberty more than any other non-convicted person in British history". | |
| "Against this background, he wants to spend time with his family to prepare to leave the country in a manner that safeguards the dignity and security of all involved," he added. |