Abu Qatada moves to a new home – and guess who’s paying? Removal men seen loading van with satellite dish and cross-trainer

• The cost of monitoring Qatada is already estimated at £100,000 a week
• He is said to be paying £1,900 a month in rent for the house in Wembley – funded through benefits

By Lucy Osborne


A few weeks ago Abu Qatada returned to his £400,000 family home with a big smirk on his face.
Yesterday he was probably just as happy as the taxpayer funded a move to a new home for the hate preacher and his wife and children.
Removal men were seen outside the radical cleric’s North-West London home, loading possessions – including a large satellite dish and what looked like a personal cross-trainer – into a van.

The radical cleric leaves his house flanked by Home Office officials (left) and removal men appear to be taking down a satellite dish from his home (right)

Removal men were seen outside the radical cleric's North-West London home, loading possessions, including what looked like a personal cross-trainer, into a van. He is said to be moving to Wembley, funded by taxpayers

It is not known what reasons he has given for the move but he is likely to have demanded more space or complained about the constant media presence outside.
There have also been a series of vocal protests from members of the public.

 

The cost of monitoring Qatada is already estimated at £100,000 a week.
The fanatic is watched by police and the security service 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
He is said to be paying £1,900 per month in rent for the house in Wembley – funded through benefits.

Qatada has lived at the address since February this year after his initial release from prison as part of his ongoing fight against deportation.
He was later detained again but senior immigration judge Mr Justice Mitting released him for a second time last month.
Sitting at the Special Immigration Appeals Commission, he blocked Home Office attempts to return the cleric to Jordan, where he faces terror charges, because he was not satisfied he was guaranteed a fair trial.
Lawyers for Theresa May, the Home Secretary, asked for him to be bailed to a Home Office address but the court refused and returned him to his Wembley home.
Qatada is expected to be moving to his new address with his wife and four out of five of his children.

Smirk: Radical Muslim cleric Abu Qatada arrives back at his home after being released on bail, in London, in November

Around 60 officers from Scotland Yard, MI5 and a private security company are involved in the monitoring of Qatada.
He is allowed outside between 8am and 4pm every day although he is not allowed to access the internet or meet certain individuals.
Visitors to his home must be approved by the Home Office and his phone line is monitored constantly.
Prime Minister David Cameron has said he is ‘completely fed up with the fact that this man is still at large in our country’.
Chris Grayling, the Justice Secretary, said the fiasco showed human rights laws needed to be overhauled.
Qatada’s release is the latest setback in a battle that has now run for more than a decade.
The Home Office is to challenge the Special Immigration Appeals Commission decision in the Court of Appeal.

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