Radical cleric Qatada released from British jail

Islamist cleric Abu Qatada, once described as Osama bin Laden s right-hand man in Europe, has been released from a British prison on extremely tight bail conditions. Qatada, who is fighting extradition to Jordan, was released from Long Lartin high-security jail in Worcestershire, central England, and will have to obey a 22-hour-a-day curfew at his home in London. The 51-year-old is considered a serious risk to Britain's national security and has spent most of the last six years in jail without charge during London's bid to deport him. He left prison around 9:15pm (2115 GMT) in the back seat of a van. He was seen holding a hand to his face. Ahead of his release, the Home Office interior ministry said it would "exhaust all avenues" to ensure his extradition to Jordan, where he was convicted in his absence of involvement in terror attacks in 1998. Qatada also featured in hate sermons found on videos in the flat of one of the September 11 bombers. But the European Court of Human Rights has ruled that Britain cannot deport the Jordanian to his homeland because evidence used against him in any trial there may have been obtained through torture. "Everyone is united in wanting this man deported," a Home Office spokeswoman told AFP. "This government will exhaust all avenues open to get Qatada on a plane. "If we do so, we will continue to negotiate with the Jordanians to see what assurances we can be given about the evidence used against Qatada in their court." Junior Home Office minister James Brokenshire is travelling to Amman this week after Prime Minister David Cameron spoke with Jordan's King Abdullah II on Thursday about finding an "effective solution" to the case. Qatada will only be allowed outside his home for two one-hour periods a day, will not be able to visit a mosque, and is banned from using the telephone and the Internet. He must also wear an electronic tag and non-family visitors to his home must be vetted beforehand by the security services. He is banned from meeting 27 named individuals, including new Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri. The cleric, also known as Omar Othman, arrived in Britain in 1993 claiming asylum and has been fighting attempts to extradite him for more than six years. He has never been charged with a criminal offence in Britain. Qatada, a Jordanian of Palestinian origin, was labelled a key Bin Laden aide in Europe by a Spanish judge.