Radical cleric may be freed in days

A RADICAL Muslim cleric accused of posing a grave threat to Britain’s national security could walk free in days, a tribunal has heard.

Abu Qatada, who is being held at Long Lartin high-security prison as he fights deportation to Jordan, will be considered for bail at a hearing on 6 February.

The move comes as British diplomats are locked in discussions with the Jordanian authorities, seeking assurances that evidence gained through torture would not be used against him.

Qatada, once described by a Spanish judge as “Osama bin Laden’s right-hand man in Europe”, won an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights last week. The judges ruled that sending Qatada back to face terrorism charges without assurances about evidence obtained by torture would deny him his right to a fair trial and be a “flagrant denial of justice”.