THE radical cleric Abu Qatada was named by the Government yesterday as the most dangerous Islamic preacher in Britain.

Abu Qatada, who has been described as Osama bin Laden’s spiritual ambassador in Europe, was also “an inspiration” for terrorists, including the lead hijacker behind the September 11 attacks on the United States.

The claim was contained in evidence revealed in the appeal by three foreign terrorist suspects against their detention without charge or trial under the Anti- Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001.

In a weighty dossier submitted to the Special Immigrations Appeals Commission in London on behalf of the Home Secretary, the Government singled out Abu Qatada for his “extensive contacts with senior terrorists worldwide”.

Abu Qatada, 43, whose real name is believed to be Sheikh Omar Mahmood Abu Omar, is a Palestinian who was granted asylum in Britain in 1994 after claiming that he faced religious persecution in Jordan, where he had lived. He was sentenced to death in his absence by the Jordanian courts for his alleged role in a series of bomb attacks. He was arrested in South London last October after nearly 12 months on the run.

The 107-page dossier submitted in evidence against the appeals claimed that he had propagated the “extremist Islamist ideology ascribed to by bin Laden”. Presented by Wyn Williams, QC, acting on behalf of David Blunkett, it said that Abu Qatada and, “to a lesser extent”, Abu Hamza, a radical cleric who has avoided detention because he has British nationality, had both acted as a focal point for extreme Islamic groupings, networks and individuals in Britain.

The dossier stated: “The evidence is clear that Abu Qatada supports the overthrowing by violent means of some current governments of Arab countries and their replacement with Islamic states . . . and that he has links to many of the terrorist groups described in this document.”

The men, who have never been officially named, have been held in top security prisons for up to 18 months.

Specific accusations against Abu Qatada included the charge that he gave “spiritual advice and encouragement” to those involved in terrorist plots in Strasbourg, where extremists planned to attack a Christmas market in late 2000, and a foiled attack on the US Embassy in Paris in September 2001.

The dossier said: “Abu Qatada has been in direct contact with members and supporters of terrorist cells and networks and his preachings are known to be an inspiration for a number of individuals involved in terrorist attacks.”

It added: “Eighteen videotapes of Abu Qatada’s sermons were found in a Hamburg flat used by three of the men alleged to have hijacked the planes that crashed into the World Trade Centre, including the leader of the group, Mohammed Atta.” Nineteen terrorists, most of them from Saudi Arabia, took part in the attacks.

The hearing was adjourned until tomorrow.

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