I won't return to Britain - Bakri

Islamic fundamentalist cleric Omar Bakri, who left Britain, where he faces a criminal investigation in the wake of the London bombings, was arrested in Lebanon today.

He had earlier said in a television interview he was being targeted for his political views and would not return to Britain.

Bakri, who faces possible incitement charges in Britain for comments after the July 7 bombings, denied any links to Osama bin Laden’s al Qaida terrorist network or to terrorism.

He said he did not support any attacks that lead to the killing of innocent people. “This is something that no normal man can accept, particularly someone who is committed to Islam and the values of Islam,” he told Lebanon’s Future TV.

Future TV said Bakri was arrested this afternoon as he left its building after giving the interview.

A statement by the General Security Department said he was being interrogated about the circumstances of his entry to Lebanon.

Bakri 45, who holds Syrian and Lebanese citizenship, lived in Britain for 20 years. He founded the now-disbanded radical Islamic group al-Muhajiroun, which came under scrutiny in Britain, particularly after some of its members praised the September 11, 2001 attacks on the US.

Bakri caught public attention recently when he said he would not inform the police if he knew Muslims were planning attacks such as the July 7 bombings in London that killed 56 people. He claimed Islam prohibited him from reporting Muslims to the British police.

He left the UK on Saturday and flew to Lebanon to see his ailing mother.

In London, a spokeswoman for the Foreign Office said there was no British connection to Bakri’s detention in Lebanon as there was no warrant for Bakri’s arrest.

Lebanese Information Minister Ghazi Aridi said Bakri was arrested as a “precautionary measure”. He said he would be treated “in a way that preserves the dignity and rights of any citizen” while authorities carry out the “necessary investigations”.

In the Future TV interview, the Syrian-born Bakri said he planned to settle in Lebanon – the home country of his wife’s family – and would not go back to Britain where he said he was being “harassed” by the media and authorities.

“I will not return to Britain. In the event that the British Government announces that I am a persona non grata, I will submit (to British authorities) my passport so that my residency can be revoked,” he said.

“Even if there is nothing found against me in Britain, I will not return except as a tourist or visitor,” he added.

Bakri denied having any special “activities or followers” in Britain and said he was the victim of a “Zionist” media campaign because of his political views supporting the resistance in southern Lebanon and Palestinian territories.

Britain is considered unlikely to seek Bakri’s extradition from Lebanon since it had already been considering how to deport or bar him from the country.

“Enjoy your holiday – make it a long one,” Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott said when asked about Bakri at a news conference earlier this week.