Abu Hamza "de-arrested" - presumably insuffcient evidence of actual Terrorism
Abu Hamza al Masri, the controversial Muslim cleric has been "de-arrested" under the Terrorism Act 2000, according to a BBC report.
He is still in custody facing extradition to the USA, on charges mostly relating to alleged activities in Yemen.
This is now the second time that Abu Hamza has been arrested, questioned and "de-arrested" under the Terrorism Act, once regarding Yemen, and this time regarding his alleged activities in the UK.
Was this a desparate attempt by the UK authorities to pin something on this unpopular and misguided man, before a British court has to throw out the USA extradition request on the grounds of no admissable evidence, no jurisdiction, the possability of a death penalty, and the certainty of an unfair trial in the USA ?
If, despite the presumably round the clock surveillance of Abu Hamza, the UK authorities or the tabloid newspapers still have not found any real evidence against him, then his arrest looks to be even more of a mistake than it did initially.
All that the authorities have achieved is to give Abu Hamza a lot of free publicity that he would otherwise never have got, and to look like a martyr to his supporters, increasing the likelyhood that some of them will be tempted into becoming terrorists themselves.