Al Qaeda threatened to attack Britain yesterday if it decided to extradite to Jordan Abu Qatada, once believed to be an aide to Osama bin Laden.
In a statement signed by Al Qaeda's general command and published online, the group said Abu Qatada's extradition would "open the gates of evil" onto "Britain and its citizens everywhere".
The 51-year-old Jordanian, labelled the right-hand man of bin Laden by a Spanish judge, was convicted in Jordan in absentia for involvement in terror attacks in 1998, and faces a retrial on his return.
