Israel Matzav

Britain agrees to release Abu Qatada

There was another item on the Hamas/'Army of Islam' shopping list for the release of kidnapped BBC reporter useful idiot Alan Johnston. WorldNetDaily is reporting this morning that Hamas and the 'Army of Islam' are going to get that additional item on the installment plan. According to WorldNetDaily, Britain has agreed that within six months it will release al-Qaeda's Sheikh Abu Qatada (pictured at top left), who is being held in a British prison.

Hat Tip: Thoughts of American Infidel

According to WorldNetDaily,

Abu Qatada, is accused among other things of advising 9/11 terrorist Zacarias Moussaoui and attempted shoe-bomber Richard Reid. Qatada's sermons were found among the possessions of 9/11 operational leader Mohamed Atta.

There are an awful lot of countries out there that would like to get their hands on Abu Qatada:

Abu Qatada entered the UK in 1993 with a forged United Arab Emirates passport after fleeing Jordan, where he faced accusations of inciting terrorist acts. He reportedly delivered sermons calling for the downfall of the U.S. and Britain. In the mid-1990s, Qatada was said to have held meetings with an MI5 officer at which he suggested his willingness to co-operate to help prevent Islamist terrorism in the UK. The meetings were later outlined in an official governmental commission regarding Qatada. Qatada was accused by German authorities of plotting an attack on a central market, and he was sentenced in absentia in 2000 to life imprisonment in Jordan for his alleged involvement in a plot to bomb tourists there attending millennium celebrations.

Qatada is wanted on terrorism charges in Algeria, the U.S., Belgium, Spain, France, Germany, Italy and Jordan.

Nineteen videotapes featuring Qatada's sermons were found among the possessions of 9/11 ringleader Atta. A Paris-based terror cell accused of plotting to blow up the U.S. embassy in France in 2001 reportedly was headed by a follower of Qatada.

A British immigration appeals commission report stated it concluded Qatada was a "key UK figure" in al-Qaida related terror.

The British government several times promised to deport Qatada to face his life sentence in Jordan.

It was unclear whether any purported deal reached for the release of Qatada would see the al-Qaida suspect deported from the UK.

Abu Qatada's promised release came about as a result of Hamas and the 'Army of Islam' playing good cop/bad cop. It should be clear that Hamas is very happy to see Abu Qatada released:

Palestinian sources involved in the Johnston negotiations said Hamas passed to the British government the Army of Islam's demand for the freedom of Abu Qatada and also warned if Hamas stormed the Gaza compound in which Johnston was known to have been held, the BBC reporter likely would have been killed in the rescue attempt.

The Palestinian sources involved in the negotiations claimed in recent days as Hamas encircled the Army of Islam compound and threatened a rescue operation in which Hamas said Johnston's death was very possible, the British government expressed its willingness to free Qatada.

If the Brits were able to deport Qatada to Jordan to serve his life sentence, this would probably not be a bad deal, since he has never actually been charged with anything in Britain. Unfortunately, it appears most unlikely that the Brits will be able to send Abu Qatada anywhere against his will:

The sources admitted the Army of Islam had no way of ensuring the British government follow through with its purported commitment to release Qatada, but they said Dugmash threatened to kidnap more British nationals in Gaza if Qatada is not freed.

...

The British embassy in Tel Aviv did not return calls for comment on the issue before press time.

Remember when civilized countries didn't negotiate with terrorists?

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 12:56 PM