UK frees Abu Qatada into home arrest

The Palestinian-Jordanian cleric was released late on Monday after six years in prison and will have to wear an electronic tag and spend 22 hours of each day at home.

Abu Qatada who is fighting extradition to Jordan is also banned from giving religious lectures except to his own family and communicating with several individuals including al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri while he can have no mobile phone, computer or internet access.

British justice system, which considers Abu Qatada a terrorist, has accused him of threatening the country’s national security, but no charges have been introduced against him.

There are speculations that he is the topmost al-Qaeda figure in Europe but the European Court of Human Rights ruled last month that London should not extradite him to Jordan as he might be put on trial based on evidence gathered under torture.

Abu Qatada was detained in 2002 under anti-terrorism laws that authorized imprisonment of suspected terrorists without any charges.

British officials have accused him of advising militants and raising money for terrorist cells but he has been never charged with any crimes in Britain.

British officials released Abu Qatada in 2005 after they amended the controversial law, yet he was arrested again within months and has been since in jail.

AMR/HE

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