AS SPAIN marks the first anniversary of the Madrid train bombings today by ringing church bells, Britain will set free the man who is accused of inspiring the bombers.

Abu Qatada, a radical Islamist cleric, is expected to be released on bail from Belmarsh prison although he has been linked by Spanish judges to the al-Qaeda cell that killed 191 people. The Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) is freeing Mr Qatada despite having called him “a truly dangerous individual”.

Spanish authorities had wanted to question Mr Qatada, 44, in Belmarsh but may now seek his extradition. They allege that he was a close associate of four key figures in the bomb plot. Abu Dahdah, the alleged leader of the Spanish cell, visited Mr Qatada in London at least 17 times between 1995 and 2000. Mohamed al-Fazazi, 56, a Moroccan imam jailed for his role in the Casablanca bombings, helped to recruit the Madrid cell and was another frequent visitor to Mr Qatada’s home. Jamal Zougam, accused of priming the mobile phones used to detonate the 13 bombs, attended Mr Qatada’s Baker Street prayer group in London.

Mustafa Setmarian Nasar, the alleged mastermind of the March 11 atrocity, lived in Neasden, North London, and edited a radical publication for Mr Qatada.

Although convicted of terrorist offences in Jordan, Mr Qatada was granted refugee status in Britain in 1994. Police raided his home in 2001 and found cash worth £170,000, including Spanish pesetas.

Other detainees being freed:

A: An Algerian, 37, alleged to be a member of the banned GSPC (Salafist Group for Call and Combat), was released on bail last night. He has been in Britain illegally since 1989 and was allegedly involved in the £230,000 purchase of 19 satellite phones and Sim cards for Chechen Mujahidin.

B: An Algerian member of the GSPC, 33, who has lived in Britain by using false identities and papers since 1994 and allegedly provided logistical support to Chechen guerrillas.

E: An alleged member, aged 51, of the Tunisian Fighting Group, linked to al-Qaeda. He was held in Britain over an alleged plot to attack the 1998 World Cup in France but released and successfully sued police for wrongful arrest.

H: An Algerian who spent two years with the Mujahidin in Afghanistan in the early 1990s. He has lived in Britain since entering with a false passport in 1993. He was arrested four times in connection with an alleged fraud and forgery in support of terrorism.

K: He was deported from Georgia back to Britain after travelling with the alleged intention of joining Ibn Khattab’s Mujahidin fighting in Chechnya. He was held at Yarlswood detention centre but escaped during a fire in 2002 and was not recaptured for seven months, during which he allegedly resumed terrorism-related activities.

Mahmoud Abu Rideh: A Palestinian refugee treated in Broadmoor special hospital for serious mental health problems. He is 33, a father of five, and is accused of providing logistical support to various North African extremists. The SIAC ruled in January that he “remains rightly certified as a suspected international terrorist who is, on sound grounds, believed to be a risk to national security”.

He is aged 37 and lost both arms in a bomb explosion in Algeria. He is alleged to have supported terrorist cells planning attacks in Germany and France. P has been held in Broadmoor special hospital.

Q: An Algerian detained in 2003 when he was alleged to be connected with a terrorist cell planning attacks in Britain.

G: An Algerian, 36, and veteran of the Afghan wars, he was freed on bail last year after deterioration in his mental health. His bail conditions are to be relaxed.

Two detainees are not being released:

I: An Algerian and alleged explosives expert trained in Afghanistan in the late 1990s. He did not apply for bail.

S: An Algerian certified as a terrorist involved with al- Qaeda, who was detained in connection with an extradition request. He is alleged to have been involved in planning attacks in Strasbourg, France, and the US.

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