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Abu Qatada al-Filistini

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Abû-Qatâda al-Filisṭînî (Arabic: أبو قتادة الفلسطيني), born in Bethlehem in 1959 or 1960, sometimes called Abû-Omar (ابو عمر) is an Islamist militant. Under the name Omar Mahmoud Othman (عمر محمود عثمان), he is under worldwide embargo by the United Nations Security Council Committee 1267 for his affiliation with al-Qaeda.[1] He is wanted on terrorism charges in Algeria,[2] the United States, Belgium, Spain, France, Germany, Italy, and his native Jordan.[3]

Background

After the liberation of Kuwait from Iraq, he was expelled from Kuwait to Jordan. From there he travelled to the UK in September 1993 on a forged UAE passport, and requested asylum on grounds of religious persecution.[4] He was granted asylum the following year. He has been in British custody since his most recent arrest in August 2005, shortly after the July 2005 London bombings. A British court ruled on 26 February 2007 that he may be deported to Jordan.[5] In April 2008, Qatada won an appeal against deportation but remained in prison. On 8 May 2008 he was granted bail by the Special Immigration Appeals Commission. In November 2008 Qatada was rearrested for breaking his bail conditions. His bail was revoked and he was sent back to prison pending his deportation from the United Kingdom.[6]

Abu Qatada has Jordanian nationality because he was born in Bethlehem in the West Bank in 1960, which at that time was part of Jordan. Al-Filistini means the Palestinian.

Abu Qatada's residence in Britain was estimated as having cost the British taxpayer at least £500,000 in benefit payments to his family (Qatada has five children) and other expenses by early 2012.[7]

Activities, affiliations, and influence

Mr. Justice Collins, then chairman of the Special Immigration Appeals Commission that rejected his appeal against detention in 2004, said that Abu Qatada was "heavily involved, indeed was at the centre in the United Kingdom of terrorist activities associated with al-Qaeda. He is a truly dangerous individual ...".[8][9]

According to the indictment of the Madrid al-Qaeda cell, Abu Qatada was the spiritual leader of al-Qaeda in Europe, and the spiritual leader of the Armed Islamic Group (GIA), the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC), and the Tunisian Combat Group.[10]

The Middle East Media Research Institute claimed that, in 1997, Abu Qatada called upon Muslims to kill the wives and children of Egyptian police and army officers.[11]

Abu Qatada is reported by the British press to have been a preacher or advisor to al-Qaeda terrorists Zacarias Moussaoui and Richard Reid.[12][13]

When questioned in the UK in February 2001, Abu Qatada was in possession of £170,000 cash, including £805 in an envelope labelled "For the Mujahedin in Chechnya".[9]

Videos of Abu Qatada's sermons were found in the Hamburg apartment of Mohamed Atta when it was searched after the September 11, 2001 attacks, which Atta led.[9]

In 1999, Qatada was sentenced in absentia by Jordan to life imprisonment with hard labour for conspiracy to carry out terror attacks and subsequently in 2000 to a further 15 years for his involvement in a plot to bomb tourists attending Millennium celebrations in Jordan.[14]

In October 2002, the then Home Secretary, David Blunkett, detained Qatada indefinitely without trial under Part 4 of the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 (ATCSA), which at that time provided for such detention.[15] The Special Immigrations Appeals Commission subsequently rejected an appeal by Qatada to be released from detention without trial.[8] In 2005, Part 4 of ATCSA was replaced by the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005, which replaced detentions with control orders, and Qatada was released under such a control order. On August 12, 2005, Qatada was detained again pending deportation to Jordan.[16]

On April 9, 2008, the Court of Appeal ruled that Qatada could not be returned to Jordan as he would face a further trial where there was a strong probability that evidence obtained by torture might be used that would amount to a breach of the United Kingdom’s obligations under Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights.[17] He was released on bail by the Special Immigration Appeals Commission on May 8, 2008, subject to a 22-hour home curfew and other restrictions. His bail security was provided by former terrorist hostage Norman Kember, whose release Qatada had requested before Kember's rescue by the SAS in 2006.[18]

In November 2008, he was rearrested at his home after breaking his bail conditions. The Special Immigration Appeals Commission revoked his bail, stating he posed a significant risk of absconding, and returned him to prison pending his possible deportation.[6][19]

In February 2009, Law Lords ruled that Qatada could be deported to Jordan.[20][21] In the same month, Qatada was awarded £2,500 by the European Court of Human Rights in a lawsuit he filed against the UK, after judges ruled that his detention without trial in the UK breached his human rights.[22]

On January 17, 2012, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Qatada could not be deported to Jordan as that would be a violation of his right to a fair trial under Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights. This was the first time the court has ruled that such an expulsion would be a violation of Article 6.[23] The Special Immigration Appeals Commission subsequently ruled that Qatada should be bailed on highly prescriptive terms for three months while the British government sought further reassurances from Jordan.[24]

Relation with the BBC

BBC journalist Alan Johnston was kidnapped in Gaza by Muslim extremists on March 13, 2007. Johnston's captors, the infamous Doghmush clan who headed the Army of Islam (Gaza Strip), a terrorist group, demanded the release of dozens of captives, including Abu Qatada. Abu Qatada offered to help negotiate Johnston's release.[25][26][27]

On February 7, 2012, The Daily Telegraph reported that a senior manager at the BBC had instructed its journalists not to call Qatada an extremist.[28] The BBC subsequently used the form of words "accused of being one of the UK's most dangerous extremist preachers".[29]

Works

  • Islamic Movements and Contemporary Alliances, argues essentially for no affiliation whatsoever between Muslim and non-Muslim countries.
  • al-Ansar magazine, the official mouthpiece of the Armed Islamic Group (GIA), to which he contributed in the early 90s.

References

  1. ^ "UN list of affiliates of al-Qaeda and the Taliban". Un.org. Retrieved 2010-04-08.
  2. ^ Statement from the Algerian government to the UN 1267 Committee, English translation by Nuclear Threat Initiative
  3. ^ Britain's most wanted (meaning Abu Qatada, who was missing at the time), The Observer, 12 May 2002
  4. ^ 2012 BBC profile
  5. ^ Court rules that Abu Qatada can be deported, Home Office, 26 February 2007
  6. ^ a b Judges send Qatada back to jail, BBC News, 2 December 2008
  7. ^ Johnson, Boris (13 February 2012). "On top of everything else, Abu Qatada costs us a small fortune". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 13 February 2012. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |newspaper= (help)
  8. ^ a b 'Qatada's key UK al-Qaeda role', BBC, 23 March 2004
  9. ^ a b c "Cleric Abu Qatada branded 'truly dangerous'". The Independent". 17 January 2012. Retrieved 8 February 2012. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |newspaper= (help)
  10. ^ The Global Jihadist Movement, Rand Corporation p. 27
  11. ^ Radical Islamist Profiles (1): London -- Abu Hamza Al-Masri, MEMRI, 16 October 2001
  12. ^ Profile: Abu Qatada, BBC, 26 February 2007.
  13. ^ Move to expel 'al-Qaeda cleric' will test Britain's resolve on law, Times Online, 11 August 2005
  14. ^ Booth, Robert (7 February 2012). "Abu Qatada: spiritual leader for deadly Islamist groups?". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 February 2012. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |newspaper= (help)
  15. ^ Gillan, Audrey (26 October 2002). "Judges back terror law detention". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 February 2012. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |newspaper= (help)
  16. ^ "'Threats to UK security' detained". BBC News. 12 August 2005. Retrieved 8 February 2012. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |newspaper= (help)
  17. ^ "Recent Case Law on Asylum and Immigration". MigrationWatch UK. Retrieved 8 February 2012. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  18. ^ Travis, Alan (17 June 2008). "Abu Qatada: Radical preacher freed on bail". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 February 2012. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |newspaper= (help)
  19. ^ John F. Burns (2008-12-02). "Islamic Cleric Jailed Again in Britain". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-12-04. mirror
  20. ^ "Sky News - Radical Cleric Can Be Deported From UK". News.sky.com. Retrieved 2010-04-08.
  21. ^ Casciani, Dominic (2009-02-18). "Law Lords back Qatada deportation". BBC News. Retrieved 2010-04-08.
  22. ^ Percival, Jenny (February 19, 2009). "Abu Qatada gets £2,500 compensation for breach of human rights". The Guardian.
  23. ^ Gardham, Duncan (17 January 2011). "Abu Qatada cannot be deported to Jordan, European judges rule". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 6 February 2011. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |newspaper= (help)
  24. ^ Whitehead, Tom (6 February 2012). "Abu Qatada to be released within days". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 6 February 2012. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |newspaper= (help)
  25. ^ Vikram Dodd (May 18, 2007). "Radical cleric offers to appeal for kidnapped BBC journalist". The Guardian. Retrieved 2007-05-26.
  26. ^ "Cleric contacted over Johnston plea". Daily Express. May 17, 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-26.
  27. ^ Tariq Panja (May 18, 2007). "Talks to free BBC hostage continue". Buffalo Evening News. Retrieved 2007-05-26. [dead link]
  28. ^ Neil Midgley; James Kirkup (7 February 2012). "BBC tells its staff: don't call Qatada extremist". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 8 February 2012. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |newspaper= (help)
  29. ^ "Abu Qatada to be released from Long Lartin jail". BBC News. 13 February 2012. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |accessed= ignored (help)

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