May pledges to 'get rid' of Qatada (From The Oxford Times)

May pledges to 'get rid' of Qatada

4:41pm Monday 12th November 2012 in National News © Press Association 2013

The Government will continue to do everything it can to "get rid" of terror suspect Abu Qatada, Theresa May told MPs as she confirmed she would appeal against a legal decision preventing his deportation.

Mr Justice Mitting granted the radical cleric bail after the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (Siac) upheld his appeal against being sent to Jordan to face trial.

But in a Commons statement, Mrs May said she believed the decision was based on the "wrong legal test" and the Government "strongly disagrees" with the ruling.

Qatada will be released on bail and Mrs May said the Government's lawyers would press for the "most restrictive" conditions possible.

Mrs May said: "Qatada is a dangerous man, a suspected terrorist, who is accused of serious crime in his home country of Jordan.

"The British Government has obtained from the Jordanian Government assurances not just in relation to the treatment of Qatada himself, but about the quality of the legal processes that would be followed throughout his trial. We will therefore seek leave to appeal today's decision."

Once described as Osama bin Laden's right-hand man in Europe, Qatada was convicted of terror charges in Jordan in his absence in 1999. He has been fighting extradition for over a decade.

Earlier this year, Mrs May was given assurances by Jordan that no evidence gained through torture would be used against him.

She told the Commons: "Despite these assurances, despite the determination of the Jordanian Government and judiciary to allow Qatada a fair trial, despite the change to the Jordanian constitution that expressly prohibits torture and the use of evidence obtained by torture, in the absence of clear case law Mr Justice Mitting still found in Qatada's favour. In doing so, we believe he applied the wrong legal test."

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper told the Commons: "This is an extremely serious and worrying judgment that means from tomorrow Abu Qatada will be back on Britain's streets. I think people will be horrified across this country to learn that that is the case."