“Bakri, 50, gave the order to followers to hatch an escape plan just days after Qatada was freed from jail and placed under house arrest.”
Urgent questions for British authorities: Who are Bakri’s followers in Britain? How many are there?
More on this story. “Bakri bid for pal’s breakout,” by Tom Wells for The Sun, November 11:
Hate preacher Omar Bakri masterminded the plot to help extremist pal Abu Qatada flee Britain, The Sun can reveal.
Bakri, 50, gave the order to followers to hatch an escape plan just days after Qatada was freed from jail and placed under house arrest.
In an audio recording obtained by The Sun, the evil cleric instructed: “There are two ways to help (Qatada). One is maybe try to help him against the kuffar (non-believer) to remove all these restrictions. Or by smuggling him outside the country if you can find a way.”
He then adds: “Try to help him financially or socially — whatever way you can.”
Qatada, 47, was re-arrested in a dawn swoop on Friday after authorities received a tip-off about his escape plot.
Government sources believe Lebanon was his likely destination — where Bakri has lived since 2005. Qatada, once described by a judge as Osama bin Laden’s right-hand man in Europe, won his fight against deportation to Jordan five months ago.
Since then, he has spent 22 hours a day under virtual house arrest at his home in West London. The pair have been linked for a decade.