Hate Preacher Abu Qatada To Leave UK Voluntarily?

Bye-bye Abu Qatada aka Mohammed Othman. The Brits had worried they might be stuck with the Algerian hate preacher for life, since his "rights" superseded the safety of the British people. The courts were loathe to send him over to Jordan (where he is a wanted man) because he might not receive a fair trial, and the poor terror suspect was suicidal. But it looks like the radical Muslim will be going there after all. Voluntarily. Pending some kind of deal between Jordan and the UK- assuring all parties involved that he will get that fair trial.

Britain last month announced it had signed a new treaty with Jordan aimed at addressing those concerns.

"If and when the Jordanian parliament ratifies that treaty, Mr Othman will voluntarily return to Jordan," Edward Fitzgerald, a lawyer representing him, told a special immigration tribunal on Friday.

That would be a relief to home secretary Theresa May, the British interior minister, who has faced media pressure over repeated failures to deport Abu Qatada.

"The home secretary's focus remains on seeing Abu Qatada returned to Jordan at the earliest opportunity," security minister James Brokenshire said in a statement issued by the Home Office shortly after the news from court emerged.

"We continue to pursue this case before the courts and to work with the Jordanian government to achieve this."

After eight long years of trying to boot him out of the country, they might finally be rid of him.