AMMAN: Radical cleric Abu Qatada was acquitted of terrorism charges by a Jordanian court yesterday and freed from jail, ending more than a decade of legal cases against the firebrand preacher.
Abu Qatada, who was deported from Britain last year, was found not guilty of conspiring to attack tourists in Jordan during millennium celebrations, due to insufficient evidence, officials said.
The bearded 53-year-old, who had pleaded not guilty, broke into tears upon hearing the verdict, while members of his family applauded and shouted Allahu Akbar (God is greater). His lawyer, Hussein Mubadeen, called the decision “a success for Jordanian justice”. Outside the courtroom, relatives including women clad in black burqas embraced and kissed each other as they celebrated the ruling.
The Palestinian-born cleric was later seen leaving Muwaqqar prison, just south of Amman, where he was greeted by family members before going to his home in the Jordanian capital. Britain said there was no chance of the cleric returning.
“It is right that the due process of law has taken place in Jordan. The UK courts agreed that Abu Qatada posed a threat to national security in the UK, so we are pleased that we were able to remove him,” a government spokesman said.
Abu Qatada was deported from Britain to Jordan in July 2013 after a 10-year legal fight. Despite his detention, Abu Qatada has been outspoken on certain issues, including the brutal jihadists who have overrun swathes of Iraq and Syria in recent weeks.
On September 7, he criticised the Islamic State group for beheading Western journalists, calling it a “killing machine”. In July, he denounced IS for declaring a “caliphate”, saying it was “meaningless” because it was not approved by other jihadists.
Yesterday’s ruling ends a decade of legal cases against Abu Qatada, including the extradition battle that cost the British taxpayer £1.7m ($2.7m). AFP
