- 3 updates
No. 10 insists Abu Qatada will not return to Britain
The Government would fight any attempt by Abu Qatada to return to Britain, Nick Clegg said after reports the radical cleric has been cleared of some terror charges in Jordan.
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Downing St: Abu Qatada cannot come back to the UK
Downing St has made clear that Abu Qatada will not be able to return to the UK, regardless of whether he has been cleared of a charge of conspiring to commit terrorism in a Jordanian court.
The radical cleric is still in custody in his home country awaiting trial on a separate charge.
Asked if Qatada could return to Britain, the Prime Minister's spokesman said: "He can't come back, and he won't come back.He is a Jordanian and he does not have a UK passport.
"He would not be granted permission to enter the UK, end of story," he added.
Nick Clegg: 'We don't want Qatada back in the UK'
Nick Clegg has said the Government does "not want" Abu Qatada back in the UK, even if a Jordanian court has found him not guilty of a charge of conspiring to commit terrorism.
The cleric, who was extradited from the UK last July, is still facing a further charge in Jordan and remains in custody there.
The Lib Dem leader told his weekly phone-in on LBC radio; “It was important that we sent Abu Qatada back to Jordan after lengthy delays.
"What is clear to me is that he needed to face justice and he needed to face justice outside of this country, and that’s what this government achieved,"
"We need to have to have a close look at this ruling. But we don’t want this man back," he added.
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Qatada found not guilty on terror charges in Jordan
Abu Qatada has been cleared of conspiring to commit acts of terrorism in a court in Jordan.
The cleric - who was finally extradited from Britain last July after a long legal process - will continue to be held as he awaits trial relating to an alleged plot to attack tourists during Jordan's New Year celebrations in 2000.