British exiled | Old habits die hard... |
It's the second time in Lebanon that he has faced charges of terrorist activities. In 2010 Bakri was held briefly on similar charges before Hezbollah group struck a deal with him and released him. He was held under house arrest since.
| Is there a reason why we can't just drone-zap him? |
Bakri, whose real name is Omar Bakri Fustoq, was arrested on May 25 and has always denied being part of Al Qaeda although he regularly speaks highly of their affiliated
Authorities here believe that he is linked to Al Qaeda and is responsible for a series of
Omar Bakri, believed to be 54 now, was previously the London-based spiritual leader of the
On the London bombings It was also reported that Bakri referred to the four suicide bombers who killed 56 people on July 7 as "the fantastic four". He said the British people were to blame for the terror attacks on the capital because they "did not make enough effort to stop its own government committing its own atrocities in Iraq and Afghanistan". He also sparked outrage when he said on TV that he would not inform police if he knew Muslims were planning a bomb attack on a train in the UK and supported Muslims who attacked British troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.
In March he told Khaleej Times when speaking of the troubles in Tripoli "only jihad salafi can save it and save Lebanon" adding "and this country needs to be made an Islamic state, obviously" he says. "Guys like me thrive on chaos…and that is what you have in Lebanon now" he added.