One of the most high-profile terrorism suspects in Britain was ordered back to jail on Tuesday after it was ruled he had breached his bail conditions. Jordanian cleric Omar Othman, better known as Abu Qatada and who was once described as Osama bin Laden's top operative in Europe, had been accused of plotting to flee Britain. "I'm pleased that the court has agreed that Abu Qatada should have his bail revoked," said Home Secretary Jacqui Smith. "He poses a significant threat to our national security and am I pleased that he will be detained pending his deportation, which I am working hard to secure." Qatada was arrested by the British authorities in 2002 under now defunct laws which allowed foreigners suspected of involvement in terrorism to be held without charge. He was later freed on bail but was detained again in 2005 as part of a group of Arab men the government wanted to deport on national security grounds while acknowledging it did not have enough evidence to put them on trial.
However, earlier this year Qatada defeated the attempt to deport him after Appeal Court judges ruled he would not face a fair trial in his homeland and in June he was freed from prison on bail, albeit on strict conditions. These stated that he had to be confined to his home for 22 hours a day and could only leave between 10 and 11 am and 2 and 3 pm. He was also forbidden from using any mobile telephone or computer, or connecting in any way to the Internet.