UK: Bin laden's 'right hand man' to be released
Critics say decision to grant radical Muslim cleric Abu Qatada bail a 'disgrace, claim he is 'real threat' to Britain's security
A top British immigration judge said that a radical Islamic preacher once described as Osama bin Laden’s “right hand man in Europe” could be released from police custody within days despite even his own defense team suggesting that he posed a “grave risk” to the UK's national security, the Telegraph reported Monday night.
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Abu Qatada was granted bail by Justice Mitting after the European Court of Human Rights ruled in January that he could not be deported to his native Jordan, the British daily reported.
According to the report, the bail conditions will be similar to those set in 2008, with the radical cleric confined to his home for all but two one-hour periods each day. He will also be allowed to take one of his five children to school.
The Telegraph said restrictions on his movement, however, could be lifted if the home secretary fails to show within three months that progress is being made in negotiations
A Home Office spokesman said it had argued for the “strictest possible bail conditions” to be imposed. “This is a dangerous man who we believe poses a real threat to our security,” he was quoted by the Telegraph as saying. .
The newspaper said the decision to release Qatada, a 51-year-old father of five, means he can return home and will be able to claim up to £1,000 ($1,577) a month in state benefits. The taxpayer will also have to pay up to £500,000 ($789,000) a year for his security surveillance.
Critics slammed the decision as a “disgrace,” the Telegraph reported, while the Home Office warned that Qatada remained “a dangerous man” who posed a “real threat to our security.”
Charlie Elphicke, a Tory MP, was quoted by the daily as saying, “This is a man who is seeking to undermine our country at every turn. It is clear that Qatada should not be in this country another day.”
Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, said no bail decision should “interfere with keeping our country safe.
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