LONDON, April 17 (UPI) -- Britain has arrested radical cleric Abu Qatada, a Jordanian with alleged links to al-Qaida, and officials say they will resume efforts to deport him.
He is viewed in Britain as a security threat, but the European Council on Human Rights prevented his deportation earlier this year because evidence possibly obtained by torture in Jordan could be used against him. He was convicted in Jordan, in absentia, of involvement in terrorist conspiracies after arriving in Britain in 1993, where he applied for asylum on the grounds he had been tortured by Jordanian authorities, CNN reported Tuesday.
Both countries have been in negotiations over Qatada's status and agree he should be returned to Jordan, which has outlined a number of conditions for his return that British Home Secretary Theresa May said are acceptable.
He will be tried publicly and before civilian judges, and his existing conviction will not be considered relevant, she told British lawmakers Tuesday.
Ibrahim Aljazy, Jordan's justice minister, said after the arrest that Jordan will offer Qatada a full trial when he arrives in the country.
Qatada was released from a British prison in February after being detained for six years, the British government claiming he raised funding for terrorist groups and publicly supported their activities, CNN said.
