Jordan acquits Abu Qatada

Radical Muslim preacher Abu Qatada, who was accused of plotting terrorist attacks against Americans and Israelis, was acquitted by a Jordanian court on Wednesday.

The court ruled that there was insufficient evidence to convict Qatada, who was accused of involvement in the so-called "millennium plot" - a 2000 terrorist plan to target American tourists and western diplomats in Jordan during new year's celebrations.

He was most recently acquitted for lack of evidence in June in a separate case, in which he was charged with conspiring to attack an American school in Amman, Jordan. He was extradited from the United Kingdom to Jordan last year after a 10-year legal fight.

Qatada, 53, sat inside a defendant's cage guarded by heavily armed riot police as the verdict was read. He is expected to be released within hours, according to his attorney Husein Mubaidin.

The verdict brings an end to lengthy legal proceedings against Qadata, a one-time lieutenant to Osama bin Laden, who become known for his passionate speeches in support of al Qaeda, but has also emerged as a harsh critic of the “Islamic State” (IS) terrorist group.

"They have the ability to kill and destroy, not to build," Qatada said referring to IS at a court appearance earlier this month.

bw/ksb (AP, Reuters, AFP)