Qatada: Minister to visit Jordan

Feb 8 2012

A Home Office minister is to fly to Jordan to try to gain assurances that would enable radical cleric Abu Qatada to stand trial in the country.

Downing Street officials said James Brokenshire would be travelling to the Middle East state next week. Prime Minister David Cameron is also due to speak to King Abdullah of Jordan about the case by telephone.

Mr Cameron told MPs at Prime Minister's Questions: "We are doing everything we can to get this man out of the country. The absolutely key thing to do is an agreement with Jordan about the way that he will be treated.

"This guy should have been deported years ago. Nevertheless, if we can get that agreement with Jordan, he can be on his way."

An immigration judge ruled earlier this week that Qatada - once described as "Osama bin Laden's right-hand man in Europe" - should be released on bail after more than six years in custody fighting deportation.

It followed a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights that he could not be sent back to Jordan without assurances that he would not be tried with evidence obtained under torture.

Officials said Mr Brokenshire would now be seeking those assurances from the Jordanians to enable the deportation to go ahead.

Mr Cameron said the current situation in the wake of the European court ruling was "completely unacceptable".

"It is not acceptable that you end up with a situation where you have someone in your country that threatens to do you harm, that you cannot try, you cannot detain and you cannot deport," he said.

"The Government will do everything it can working with our Jordanian friends and allies to make sure that he can be deported."