Abu Qatada Denied Bail By Jordan Court As He Faces Terrorism Charges

Abu Qatada Denied Bai

Abu Qatada has been denied bail by a Jordanian military court.

His lawyer, Taysir Diab, said no reason had been given for the decision, reports the BBC.

Qatada is charged with conspiring to carry out terrorist attacks on Westerners in 1999, 2000.

Qatada leaving the UK

The 53-year-old was deported to Jordan from the UK earlier this month after a eight-year legal battle.

His departure has triggered a wave of relief throughout Westminster as the controversial preacher could have challenged his removal once again at any minute.

He has been detained for at Muwaqar I, a prison in Amman's southeastern industrial suburb of Sahab.

Once dubbed Osama bin Laden's right-hand man in Europe, Qatada spent his final months in the UK in Belmarsh prison, after breaching a bail condition which restricted use of mobile phones and other communication devices.

The Government has been trying to deport him to Jordan, where he was convicted of terror charges in his absence in 1999, for about eight years.

But Qatada - who has praised the September 11 terror attacks - repeatedly used human rights laws to avoid removal.

This argument, originally rejected by British courts, was upheld by judges at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, forcing May to seek new legal guarantees from Jordan that his rights would not be breached.

The treaty that was drawn up aimed to allay fears that evidence extracted through torture will be used against the father of five at a retrial.

Close

What's Hot