Hate cleric back in Belmarsh
Qat in the bag ... cops march hate preacher Abu Qatada from home
HATE cleric Abu Qatada was last night thrown back in jail — and may never roam the streets of Britain again.
A judge sent the 52-year-old to prison for breaching his bail terms just hours before the Government’s latest bid to boot him out of the country for good.
Qatada — dubbed Osama Bin Laden’s right-hand man in Europe — was nicked by border officials on Friday.
He is alleged to have breached rules banning him from using mobile phones and allowing memory sticks into his taxpayer-funded £450,000 home.
Smirker ... Abu Qatada is driven off
Mikael Buck
Qatada was transferred to Belmarsh Prison in South East London after a Special Immigration Appeals Commission hearing.
The Sun ... our report of arrest
A Judicial Press Office spokesman said last night: “At a telephone hearing this afternoon with lawyers for both sides, Mr Justice Irwin, chairman of SIAC, ordered the return of Omar Othman, otherwise known as Abu Qatada, to prison. There will be a further hearing on March 21.”
Qatada may never taste freedom in Britain again — the Government goes to the Court of Appeal at 10.30am tomorrow to ask for his extradition.
Home Secretary Theresa May is to challenge a previous SIAC ruling that Jordan had not proved Qatada’s retrial would be free of evidence obtained by torture.
He is accused of planning explosions targeting Western and Israeli targets before 2000.
Specialist officers first pounced on the preacher’s house at 6.30am on Thursday and scoured it for 12 hours.
Cocky Qatada smirked on Friday as he was led away in handcuffs from his North London house by the UK Border Agency.
Yesterday, terror cops returned to the house, which cost £100,000-a-week to keep under 24-hour watch. Last night they confirmed they had completed their searches, finding no hazardous substances.
Before yesterday’s SIAC ruling, Qatada was allowed out between 8am and 4pm while fitted with an electronic tag.
But The Sun has long campaigned for greater efforts to kick out the bushy bearded preacher. He was freed from jail in November after Mr Justice Mitting controversially ruled he may not get a fair trial in Jordan.
He left his previous £400,000 four-bedroom rented home in North West London after complaining it was too small.
A Home Office spokesman said: “We are pleased SIAC has decided to revoke bail. We will vigorously argue our case at the next hearing.”