Abu Qatada arrested after breaching bail
A picture published March 29, 2000 in Jordan’s al-Dustour daily newspaper shows Omar Abu Omar also known as Abu Qatada, the Jordanian cleric labelled Osama bin Laden’s right-hand man in Europe.
Radical Islamist cleric Abu Qatada was arrested for allegedly breaching bail conditions, days before a new attempt by the UK government to deport him.
According to BBC News, Qatada, 52, was arrested Friday by UK Border Agency officials a day after counter-terrorism police raided two homes in London. A search of a third property was still ongoing.
More from GlobalPost: Abu Qatada extradition: Suspected terrorist wins appeal to stay in UK, gets bail
Specialist officers from the Met's Counter Terrorism Command searched Qatada's home, which is funded by taxpayers, for 12 hours before he was arrested, reported The Telegraph.
A Home Office spokeswoman said: "The UK Border Agency today arrested a 52-year-old man from North London for alleged breaches of his bail conditions imposed by the Special Immigration Appeals Commission."
Qatada was once described as Osama bin Laden's right-hand man, reported The Press Association. The cleric had already been convicted of terrorism charges in Jordan and was due to appear in a court of appeal on Monday as part of the home secretary's attempt to overturn a judge's decision that allowed him to stay in the UK.
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