Radical UK cleric asks court to halt extradition

A radical Islamist cleric accused in UK and Spanish courts of being a senior al Qaeda figure is asking a London court to halt his extradition to Jordan.

London: A radical Islamist cleric accused in British and Spanish courts of being a senior al Qaeda figure is asking a London court to halt his extradition to Jordan, something British authorities have sought for a decade.

Abu Qatada is taking his case today to the Special Immigration Appeals Commission, which handles deportation and national security cases. He has fought attempts to extradite him since 2001, arguing that he could be tortured in Jordan, or could be tried using evidence obtained by torture.

Earlier this year the Palestinian-born Jordanian was denied permission to take his case to a European court, but it could still be some time before he is extradited from Britain. Extradition cases in Britain can drag on for years.
PTI