Muslim cleric Abu Qatada.
0537: His departure at 02:45 BST brings to an end years of legal
wrangling over his deportation. The 53-year-old was put a private jet
at RAF Northolt after being driven there in a police convoy from
Belmarsh Prison in south London.
0539: This is the moment Abu Qatada walked up the steps to the plane.
0541: Minutes after the plane took off, Home Secretary Theresa May
issued a statement saying the deportation "marks the conclusion of
efforts to remove him since 2001 and I believe this will be welcomed
by the British public".
0541: Mrs May added: "I am glad that this government's determination
to see him on a plane has been vindicated and that we have at last
achieved what previous governments, Parliament and the British public
have long called for."
0545: So who is Abu Qatada and why has he proved such a thorn in the
side of the UK government?. BBC home affairs correspondent Dominic
Casciani, who was at RAF Northolt when the plane departed, has written
this profile of the Palestinian-born, Jordanian preacher.
0548: The deportation came after the UK and Jordan ratified a treaty
on torture aimed at easing human rights concerns that had blocked
previous attempts to deport Abu Qatada. As the plane made its way to
Amman, the Jordanian government issued a statement in which it said it
sought "credibility and transparency" in dealing with the case.
0550: Jordanian officials said they expected Abu Qatada to arrive in
Amman at about 08:00 BST. He will be handed over to military
prosecutors and appear in court to face terrorism charges.
0552: The BBC's Steve Swann visited Jordan earlier this year and
examines the background to the trial in this story. "Abu Qatada's
family nervously await his return after two decades of exile," he
writes.
0600: Abu Qatada left Belmarsh prison in south-east London just after
midnight in a convoy of police vehicles
0613: The deportation is widely covered in Sunday's newspapers. The
Sunday Telegraph calls it "a personal triumph" for Theresa May and
puts the delay down to a "legal farce" flowing from "an unreasonable
interpretation of the meaning of 'human rights'." The People admits it
rarely gives a Tory home secretary "a pat on the back" but it thinks
Mrs May pursued her goal with "sheer bloody-mindedness"
0636: BBC political correspondent Ross Hawkins says the deportation is
something Home Secretary Theresa May has "long wanted". Attempts to
send Abu Qatada to Jordan started when Tony Blair was Prime Minister,
he adds.
0642: Abu Qatada got a last look at the UK from the window of the
plane, which took off from RAF Northolt at 02:45 BST.
0654: The treaty which made the deportation possible is seen as
"something of an oddity" by some in the UK, says BBC Middle East
analyst Nicholas Wade. It was signed specifically to deport Abu
Qatada, he says, but Jordanian authorities emphasise that it would
allow deportations in both directions and is seen as a sign of "mutual
respect" between the countries.
0702: Labour MP Keith Vaz, chairman of the Home Affairs Select
Committee, says: "Only 446 days after the home secretary said Abu
Qatada would be on a plane shortly, he has finally reached the end of
the runway.
0705: Mr Vaz goes on: "In the end, it was the king of Jordan who
secured his departure by agreeing to this treaty. The home secretary's
legal advisers will have questions to answer as to why they didn't
conceive of this scheme earlier which would have prevented a cost to
the taxpayer of £1.7m."
0717: Home Secretary Theresa May tells the BBC she is delighted at the
deportation and she has been "as frustrated as the public" that the
process has taken more than a decade.
0718: Mrs May says the government will change the rules to ensure
there are "fewer appeals processes in future".
0722: The home secretary says the UK has "got to look at that
relationship" with the European Court of Human Rights, which said Abu
Qatada could not be deported to Jordan because evidence obtained under
torture would be used against him. Mrs May says "nothing should be off
the table" in the debate over the court.
0726: Mrs May says she has no concerns over the treatment Abu Qatada
will receive in Jordan, which she says is ensured by the treaty signed
by UK and Jordanian authorities.
0738: BBC home affairs correspondent Dominic Casciani, outside the
Home Office, says: "Officials here are incredibly relieved after one
of the most tense weeks in the department's recent history. They were
so concerned about the possibility that the cleric could change his
mind at the last minute that they were leaving nothing to chance."
0742: Our correspondent adds: "Senior officials and the Security
Minister James Brokenshire, who has been at the Home Office overnight,
were monitoring the deportation minute by minute. It was only when Abu
Qatada finally got on the plane that they knew the long saga had
finally come to an end."
0752: Abu Qatada's destination in Jordan is the "country's most
comfortable jail", according to the Telegraph. He is heading for
Muwaqqer prison, a newly built facility complete with volleyball and
basketball courts and a visitors' garden which includes a fountain,
the newspaper claims.
0810: Yvette Cooper, Labour's shadow home secretary, says: "This is
extremely welcome - it means Abu Qatada can stand fair trial in Jordan
for the serious terrorism charges he faces there, so justice can be
done."
0812: Echoing comments made by the home secretary earlier, Ms Cooper
says: "We must ensure that delays like this do not last for so long in
future and that the system is reformed to make it faster."
0815: Ms Cooper adds: "The government has done the right thing by
continuing to pursue this until Abu Qatada could finally be deported.
The home secretary has been right to get further guarantees from
Jordan and we should welcome the series of agreements from the
Jordanian government too."
0817: A Google search reveals a publicity image of the inside of the
private plane used to fly Abu Qatada to Jordan.
0835: Prime Minister David Cameron says he is "absolutely delighted"
and says the deportation battle had made his "blood boil". He adds:
"This is something this government said it would get done and we have
got it done."
0838: A family friend of Abu Qatada who went with his relatives to
meet him at the Marka military airport says the cleric was taken
straight to the State Security Court, according to BBC Middle East
correspondent Yolande Knell. This suggests legal proceedings against
him may have begun already, our correspondent says.
0843: Prime Minister David Cameron tweets: Abu Qatada is back in
Jordan. This is something the Government said would get done. It's now
been achieved and I am delighted.
0849: Mr Cameron says he wants to make it easier to deport people who
"threaten" the UK, but says there are "limits to what we can do as a
coalition government".
Nigel Fletcher, @oppositionuk Congratulations to Theresa May and
@ukhomeoffice on #Qatada, and spare some praise too for HM Ambassador
@PeterMillett1 -he's been busy
0921: BBC Middle East correspondent Yolande Knell says the cleric's
family did not get to see him at the airport, but they spoke to
prosecutors.
Philip Witham tweets: Morning - waking up to the news #Qatada is out
of the #UK - the legal system made a furtune out of him & the rules
are going to be changed
Jeffrey Johnson, Chelmsford emails: Keith Vaz's comment is very weak
and disappointing and does him no credit. Theresa May has shown she is
a tough, determined, honest, hardworking and effective Home Secretary
for which we should be thankful.
0930: Speaking on the Andrew Marr Show, Phil Collins, a former
speechwriter for Tony Blair, says there is "no question this is a
really good moment for the government". But he says it's a "bit
unfair" to say the coalition government has succeeded where Labour
failed because the "process is horrendously long and complex and this
is the culmination of it".
Dourleyn, Somerset emails: If one calls this a "victory" where a
terrorist is flown in luxury by private plane leaving behind a wife
and 5 children to be paid for by the taxpayers than Theresa May and
other politicians are not fit to represent us.
0949: Jordanian authorities confirm legal proceedings against Abu
Qatada started immediately after his arrival. The BBC understands the
State Security Court's first decision will be whether to grant bail or
remand the cleric in custody. He faces a retrial on terrorist charges
in Jordan, having been convicted in his absence in 1999 and 2000.
0953: Dr Mohammed Al-Momani, Jordan's minister of state for media
affairs, says the trial will be conducted in accordance with Jordanian
law and international human rights rules. The court will be free from
outside influence, including government interference, he says.
0957: BBC Middle East correspondent Yolande Knell says there was
"tight security" at Amman's Marka military airbase for Abu Qatada's
arrival - the first time he has set foot in Jordan in more than 20
years.
0957: The Jordanian authorities are promising "credibility and
transparency", our correspondent says. Abu Qatada is to be tried
before a panel of civilian judges with a Jordanian human rights group
monitoring his treatment.
1004: Speaking on the Andrew Marr Show, Home Secretary Theresa May
says an immigration bill to be put forward later this year will
include a reduction in the number of appeals people can make against
deportation decisions
0 comments:
Post a Comment