British court rules against deportation of radical cleric

A radical Islamist cleric — described by prosecutors as a key al Qaeda operative in Europe — cannot be deported from Britain to Jordan to face terrorism charges, judges ruled in the latest twist in a protracted legal saga.

Britain’s government has been attempting to expel radical preacher Abu Qatada since 2001, and immediately said it intended to mount an appeal.

Abu Qatada has previously been convicted in his absence in Jordan of terrorist offences related to two alleged bomb plots in 1999 and 2000, and he will face a retrial if deported there from Britain.