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| Abu Qatada to remain in prison until he returns to Jordan | Abu Qatada to remain in prison until he returns to Jordan |
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| The radical Islamist cleric Abu Qatada has been refused bail and will remain in Belmarsh high-security prison until he returns to Jordan to stand trial on terror charges, the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (Siac) has ruled. | The radical Islamist cleric Abu Qatada has been refused bail and will remain in Belmarsh high-security prison until he returns to Jordan to stand trial on terror charges, the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (Siac) has ruled. |
| Mr Justice Irwin said Abu Qatada, who has been repeatedly detained as an international terror suspect in prison in Britain over the past 12 years, remained a threat to national security with a wide support network and could not be trusted not to abscond. | Mr Justice Irwin said Abu Qatada, who has been repeatedly detained as an international terror suspect in prison in Britain over the past 12 years, remained a threat to national security with a wide support network and could not be trusted not to abscond. |
| Abu Qatada informed the home secretary, Theresa May, earlier this month that he was willing to return voluntarily to Jordan after she reached a "fair trial" treaty with Jordan. | Abu Qatada informed the home secretary, Theresa May, earlier this month that he was willing to return voluntarily to Jordan after she reached a "fair trial" treaty with Jordan. |
| Siac was told that the British ambassador in Amman expected the Jordanian parliament to ratify the "mutual legal agreement" within weeks. | Siac was told that the British ambassador in Amman expected the Jordanian parliament to ratify the "mutual legal agreement" within weeks. |
| The decision to refuse bail follows evidence to Siac that jihadist material and videos produced by "the media wing of al-Qaida" were found on a USB stick during a police search of his north-west London home when he was on a 17-hour curfew in March. Police also found six illicit mobile phones and 55 rewriteable CDs/DVDs, in alleged breach of his bail conditions. | |
| Abu Qatada's lawyers told Siac that he wanted to be released on 24-hour house arrest so that he could prepare to return with his family to Jordan. | Abu Qatada's lawyers told Siac that he wanted to be released on 24-hour house arrest so that he could prepare to return with his family to Jordan. |
| Daniel Friedman, on behalf of Abu Qatada, said that for the first time in 12 years he felt safe in returning to Jordan and believed the new treaty, which forbids the use of evidence obtained by torture, could lead to him being cleared of terror charges dating back to bomb attacks in the late 1990s. It "substantially raises the prospect of acquittal in what we say are tainted charges", Friedman said. | |
| Friedman added that Abu Qatada was a "proud and dignified" man, who had been held in custody for too long. He was first detained as an international terror suspect under emergency terrorism legislation in 2002. | Friedman added that Abu Qatada was a "proud and dignified" man, who had been held in custody for too long. He was first detained as an international terror suspect under emergency terrorism legislation in 2002. |
| His lawyers say he "has been deprived of his liberty more than any other non-convicted person in British history". Friedman said there had been six home secretaries, four presidents of Siac, and four pieces of anti-terrorism legislation since Abu Qatada was first detained, yet he had yet to be prosecuted for a crime in Britain. | His lawyers say he "has been deprived of his liberty more than any other non-convicted person in British history". Friedman said there had been six home secretaries, four presidents of Siac, and four pieces of anti-terrorism legislation since Abu Qatada was first detained, yet he had yet to be prosecuted for a crime in Britain. |
| He said the mobile phones, USB sticks and other devices belonged to his wife and children, and denied that he had used them or wanted to use them. | He said the mobile phones, USB sticks and other devices belonged to his wife and children, and denied that he had used them or wanted to use them. |
| Robin Tam QC, for the home secretary, reminded the Siac judges that they had once described him as "a truly dangerous man" and said there "was no reason to believe that was no longer true". | |
| He said there had been a "wholesale and wanton disregard" of the previous bail conditions, which included a ban on electronic communication equipment, by Abu Qatada and his family. "There were so many items found all over the house that there is no other inference than that the family were not taking this seriously," he said. | He said there had been a "wholesale and wanton disregard" of the previous bail conditions, which included a ban on electronic communication equipment, by Abu Qatada and his family. "There were so many items found all over the house that there is no other inference than that the family were not taking this seriously," he said. |
| Tam denied that the process to bring the new treaty into force in Jordan could take months, saying that it was being introduced in the lower house of the parliament in Amman on Tuesday. This raises the prospect that Abu Qatada could be on a plane before the summer. | Tam denied that the process to bring the new treaty into force in Jordan could take months, saying that it was being introduced in the lower house of the parliament in Amman on Tuesday. This raises the prospect that Abu Qatada could be on a plane before the summer. |
| In his ruling, Irwin said: "There is no doubt about the national security threat which the appellant presents. The essence of that is the promulgation of his views in support of violence, and the potential effect of others of that promulgation." | In his ruling, Irwin said: "There is no doubt about the national security threat which the appellant presents. The essence of that is the promulgation of his views in support of violence, and the potential effect of others of that promulgation." |
| He said that in the past Abu Qatada had gone into hiding in order to avoid a court order and equipped himself with a forged Portuguese passport. | He said that in the past Abu Qatada had gone into hiding in order to avoid a court order and equipped himself with a forged Portuguese passport. |
| "He is highly intelligent, has a range of sympathetic and supportive contacts, and his risk to national security is undiminished. We reject his submission that he can, even now, be relied on to comply with his legal obligations and not abscond." | "He is highly intelligent, has a range of sympathetic and supportive contacts, and his risk to national security is undiminished. We reject his submission that he can, even now, be relied on to comply with his legal obligations and not abscond." |
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