To where, Planet of the Apes?I'd prefer he went to Ice Station Zebra ...
Abu Qatada, a Muslim cleric once described by a Spanish judge as Osama bin Laden's right-hand man in Europe, can be deported to Jordan despite his fears of torture, Britain's top appeal court ruled Wednesday.
Jordanian Abu Qatada is one of a group of Arab men the government has been trying to deport on national security grounds, while acknowledging it does not have enough evidence to put them on trial.
The Law Lords ruling was a victory for the Home Office (interior ministry) in its long-running campaign to deport Qatada to Jordan, where he is wanted on terrorism charges, and overturns a previous Court of Appeal decision.
" ...delighted with the Lords' decision today ... My top priority is to protect public safety and ensure national security and I have signed Abu Qatada's deportation order which will be served on him today "British Home Secretary Jacqui Smith |
Faces trial in Jordan
In Amman, an official said Qatada faces retrial on return to Jordan. "By law, he will be put on trial again once he arrives in Jordan because he was sentenced in absentia in 1998 and 2000 for 15 years of hard labor for terrorist activities," the official told AFP.
While the Law Lords -- a small group of members of the House of Lords -- is Britain's highest appeal court, the ruling could in theory be appealed to the European Court of Human Rights, officials suggested.