Britain Deports Radical Cleric to Jordan
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iStockphoto/Thinkstock(LONDON) — Radical Muslim cleric Abu Qatada is no longer Britain’s problem.
On Sunday, Qatada arrived in his home country of Amman, Jordan, and was taken into custody, which ended an eight-year effort by the British government to deport the suspected al Qaeda extremist.
The cleric came to Britain two decades ago to seek asylum from Jordan. However, after it was learned that some of the 9/11 hijackers possessed his writings, Qatada was eventually arrested on suspicion of inciting terrorism.
Although jailed in 2005, the cleric was never formally charged in Britain and essentially remained under house arrest since then as British courts blocked efforts to have Qatada deported back to Jordan.
After the two governments agreed that testimony Qatada gave under torture could not be used as evidence, Jordan agreed to take him back. He’ll now face terrorism charges there.
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