Lords rule cleric can be sent to Jordan

LONDON, Feb. 18 (UPI) -- A British House of Lords panel ruled Wednesday that the radical cleric Abu Qatada can be deported to Jordan to stand trial on terrorism charges.

The lords said Qatada, once described as Osama bin Laden's right-hand man in Europe, could be returned to Jordan despite his concerns that he may be tortured, The Times of London reported.

The five law lords also ruled two Algerian terror suspects could be sent to their home country.

The rulings are seen as a win for the country's Home Office's policy of relying on foreign governments guaranteeing that deported suspects won't face torture or inhumane treatment on return home, the newspaper said.

Including the Qatada case, the Home Office is pursuing a dozen deportation cases involving terror suspects held in British prisons.

Following the ruling, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said she was delighted by the ruling.

"It highlights the threat these individuals pose to our nation's security and vindicates our efforts to remove them," she said. "My top priority is to protect public safety and ensure national security ... ."

Amnesty International urged ministers not to take the judgment as a "green light" to deport more people to countries where they risk unfair trial and inhumane treatment.