Al-Qaeda has offered to free a British hostage if the radical cleric Abu Qatada is released by the UK, a statement claimed today.
The terror group's North African branch, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (Aqim), warned Britain against continuing with its plans to deport Qatada to Jordan, saying it would have to "bear the consequences" of such a move.
But the group said it would release hostage Stephen Malcolm, who it said has dual British and South African nationality, if Qatada was sent to one of the so-called Arab Spring countries - including Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and Yemen - instead.
In an unverified statement on an Islamist website, Aqim said: "The initiative to the British Government is to release its citizen Stephen Malcolm, who also has South African nationality, if it deports Abu Qatada to one of the 'Arab Spring' countries.
"If Britain ignores this offer it will bear the consequences of handing Abu Qatada to the Jordanian government."
Malcolm is thought to be one of nine Europeans seized by the al Qaida branch in Mali and Niger since September 2010.
Home Secretary Theresa May is trying to deport Qatada, who is currently in the high-security Belmarsh prison in south east London, to Jordan, where he faces a retrial on terror charges.
But she has warned it may be months before the 51-year-old is put on a plane.
Qatada, described by a judge as Osama bin Laden's right-hand man in Europe, has been fighting efforts to deport him for 10 years.
In the latest move, his lawyers have applied to the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg in a bid to block the move.
The appeal prompted a row with the Government over whether the three-month appeal deadline from the court's decision on January 17 that Qatada could be deported with the necessary assurances from Jordan expired on the night of April 16 or 17.
Last week May said she had "unambiguous legal advice" from the government's lawyers about the deadline to deport the Jordanian terror suspect.
It risks seeing the radical cleric freed and back on Britain's streets within weeks if a senior immigration judge rules that deportation is not imminent.
The Home Office declined to comment on Aqim's statement.
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Al-Qaeda has offered to free a British hostage if the radical cleric Abu Qatada is released by the UK, a statement claimed today.
The terror group's North African branch, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Ma...
Al-Qaeda has offered to free a British hostage if the radical cleric Abu Qatada is released by the UK, a statement claimed today.
The terror group's North African branch, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Ma...
David Cameron today pushed the case for a resolution on the stalled deportation of radical cleric Abu Qatada with King Abdullah of Jordan. Qatada remains...
Europe's human rights judges will meet today to consider whether Jordanian terror suspect Abu Qatada's appeal over deportation should be allowed to go ahead. A...
I wonder if the authorities in Arab Spring countries - including Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and Yemen would want to take him and would he want to go there? It would be good if he could go as it would save the security service costs here.
writeangle: I wonder if the authorities in Arab Spring countries -
They are virtually saying here that all the 'Arab Spring' countries are sympathetic to Al-Quaeda, but Jordan (which has long had one of the more even-handed rulers of the region), is not.
Does this mean that we are going to see numerous Al-Quaeda training camps in these Arab Spring nations so that they'll end up as future Afghanistans? Is that what will happen too if Palestine finally forms its own nation?
Maybe we should do what the Palestinians do to Israel. Yeah, you can have him back, but we want a hundred or a thousand hostages released in return. Put some value on him. The Palestinians have been asking for the release of 1,000 terrorists in return for ONE Israel soldier held for years now.
I think until we learn to play the game as hard as them, they will always percieve us as losers; or 'suckers' to use an Americanism.
Possibly it would help all concerned if he simply had an 'accident'. After all, there seemed to be no problem arranging one for Kelly :)
Scribejohn: This is a very worrying comment indeed. They are virtually
Qatada is one very dangerous man and should never be released.
They might release Mr. Malcolm, but what about the next hostage......and the one after that?
They are already holding the UK to ransome by saying "If Britain ignores this offer it will bear the consequences of handing Abu Qatada to the Jordanian government"
Send him back to Jordan and worry about the consequences of the European Court later. Other countries have done this in the past!!
English_NOT_British: Qatada is one very dangerous man and should never be
No deals, keep him banged up until it is time for him to go. Take his parasite family off all benefits they have no rights to enjoy, whilst our own pensioners go without many things. This will knock the smarmy look off of his face. Now this is real justice in the eyes of the people, who are sick of being abused by losers such as this. Condoned by people who were elected to keep Britain safe, and yet are unable to do so, because their governors in Europe, dictate what they can or cannot do. How long are the apathetic people of this country going to condone the incompetent and inert politicians, who are effectively powerless by continually voting them in..The mind boggles.....
mokgee: No deals, keep him banged up until it is time
They will make friends with you until the time is right, then when it kicks off, one will say. They were such nice people, we cannot believe it, as they leave devastation in their wake.....
mokgee: They will make friends with you until the time is
Freedom of expression was the very response the FO gave the Algerians when they challanged the inactions of the British authorities back in the 90'ies to deal with this lucifer when he roamed London mosques freely calling for the slaughter of innocent Algerian children & blessing the butchers. He was given refuge and safety and called freedom fighter however now that things have turned around (funny how they always do) & the subject of his evil ranting is the very ENGLANDISTEIN society, you guys can't wait to deport him.
I'd say release him & give him all the due benefits + interest + compensations for all the time he spent in jail.
Isn't it his right to freedom of expression?
wlidelhouma: Freedom of expression was the very response the FO gave
He is on the UN watch list and under sanction as an associate of Al-Qaeda and other Jihadist groups, what do you want us to do - give him a knighthood.What are YOU ranting on about when you mention "Englandstein", it's "Englandanistan" actually so get your facts right.
As for benefits, he and his family have been claiming them for years at the ENGLISH taxpayers expense.What is more, many of these benefits are not even available to the ENGLISH taxpayers.
His freedom of expression calls for jihad against unbelievers and his sermons of hate break incitement to racial hatred laws, as does his old chum the hook-handed Hamza.The reason we have been unable to rid ourselves of these cockroaches is because of human rights legislation and hotshot lawyers along with loony leftwing judges.
concodtob: He is on the UN watch list and under sanction
concodtob
Well said . The Human rights act is all very well in a country that needs it.
Here in the UK, it is being used and abused by scum like Qatada. They plot to kill us whilst lavishing in all that the UK offers (paid for by the taxpayer)
It's time the Govt grew some round objects and looked after it's own for a change
English_NOT_British: concodtob Well said . The Human rights act is all
Perhaps the Government can ask the Saudi Arabians to take Qatada. Afterall, it is the Saudi Arabians who are helping to fund Islamic extremism in Britian. I think it's not too much to ask for them to take in some of the vermin that reside in the extremist mosques and Madrassas that are built with their money. In fact, i do believe that Qatada will be right at home in Saudi Arabia. A country that practices a more conservative brand of Islam than Londonistan.
concodtob: Perhaps the Government can ask the Saudi Arabians to take
dont give him the choice put a tracking device up his ars- and send a preditor after him and blow them off the face of the earth also seng his brood as well save the taxpayer money stop his legal aid let him pay for his lawyers himself you extradited a british subject to the usa nowing he could spend the rest of his life in prison comeom home secetary get some balls and stop taking notice off the eu and ship him out put him on a cargo plane give him a parashute and drop him over he would be no loss come on mr cameron show the voters they hav voted for a man not a mouse
i418: dont give him the choice put a tracking device up
We will know when their next operation has hatched, as always they will be named by the idiots in office, as potential terrorists. Sadly though, these same idiots won't make a move until there has been many deaths. we know their actions very well, we have seen it all before. Pathetic, insane, yep both of these and more....
mokgee: We will know when their next operation has hatched, as
And when they do launch an operation, god forbid, the apologist's aka George Galloway and Ken Livingstone etc...will come out from underneath the rocks and make excuses for them.As Galloway did after 7/7.
concodtob: And when they do launch an operation, god forbid, the
If, and it's a big if, this story is true it just underpins everything negative about Qatada's alleged involvement in terrorism. If Al- Quaeda really have made this offer they are basically saying "we want Qatada released, he is one of us". There can be no deal. As much as it grieves me to say it a deal would prove the gateway to even more kidnappings, even more demands. i feel dreadfully sorry for Stephen Malcolm and his family but there is no guarentee Al-Quaeda would honour their side of the bargain anyway.We should try and verify this offer and if it turns out to be real we should accept it as a bona fide confirmation of Qatada's involvement in terrorist activities and deport him without further delay to Jordon. And we should not worry for even a nanu second about any faux repercussions from the ECHR.
majdf18148: If, and it's a big if, this story is true
Now it is clear shown that he is a terrorist. If these people are saying this, he must be for sure. If I were in gov, I would say on this matter that all Africans will be deported from here, if they so much as lift a finger to harm this country.These wars are costing billions to us, in the west it's time to get very tough with these people. It's costing too much when we should be saving, not spending. These people, "call them the meck" will take over if left unchecked.
cynic123: Now it is clear shown that he is a terrorist.
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PA/The Huffington Post UK | Posted: 30/04/2012 12:38 BST | Updated: 30/04/2012 12:38 BST