UK PM and Home Secretary welcome Abu Qatada's deportation
Iran Press TV
Sun Jul 7, 2013 2:55PM GMT
British Prime Minister David Cameron and Home Secretary Theresa May have welcomed Jordanian cleric Abu Qatada’s deportation from Britain.
Cameron said Abu Qatada has no right to live in the UK and he was considered as a threat to the country.
Moreover he said the deportation of Qatada is “excellent news” and was a priority for his government.
"I was absolutely delighted. This is something this government said it would get done, and we have got it done," Cameron told reporters.
May also welcomed news of Qatada’s deportation, adding, "This dangerous man has now been removed from our shores to face the courts in his own country”.
The 51-year-old cleric arrived in Jordan, where he could face allegations of plotting bomb attacks, after being flown out of Britain in the early hours today.
Qatada’s deportation comes after the UK and Jordan ratified a treaty ensuring that the Jordanian cleric will face a trial without the use of evidence obtained by torture.
Earlier in May, Abu Qatada’s lawyer told a London court that his client will return to Jordan voluntarily if the country’s government ratifies a treaty with Britain that ensures he will receive a fair trial.
Britain’s justice system has accused Qatada of being linked to al-Qaeda and threatening the country’s national security. No charges, however, have been introduced against the Muslim cleric yet
According to reports, a near decade-long battle to get Qatada out of Britain cost British taxpayer at least £1.7 million.
MOS/HE
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