Britain said on Tuesday it had re-arrested a radical cleric once described as Osama bin Laden's "right-hand man in Europe" and would resume plans to deport him to Jordan, where he has been convicted in his absence of involvement in terrorist plots.
Jordanian preacher Abu Qatada has been under virtual house arrest at his family home in London since February, when he was freed from a British prison after a court said his detention without trial was unlawful. The court's decision followed a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights in January that Qatada would not receive a fair trial in Jordan because evidence against him may have been obtained using torture.
The findings have embarrassed the British government, which maintains that Qatada is a national security risk, and prompted calls from politicians to defy the European court and deport the cleric before London hosts the Olympic Games in July and August.
Britain says videotapes of his sermons were found in a German apartment used by three of the people who carried out al Qaeda's September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. A court in Jordan has found Qatada guilty in absentia of involvement in two bomb plots and a senior British judge has described him as a "truly dangerous" supporter of radical Islamist groups. Qatada, a father of five, denies belonging to al Qaeda.