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Osama's 'ambassador' in Europe arrested

Abu Qatada, described as Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden's 'ambassador' in Europe, has been arrested following a raid on his hideout in London, Scotland Yard sources said.

Police in eight countries believe the 42-year-old cleric, whose real name is Sheikh Omar Mahmood Abu Omar, is a pivotal figure in the Al Qaeda network.

Qatada was arrested at a council house in Bermondsey, South London, in a joint operation by the Scotland Yard Anti-Terrorist Branch and MI5 intelligence agency.

He is in Belmarsh security prison, The Times daily reported on Friday.

His arrest is a major success for Britain and will be welcomed by American and European leaders, who have been shown intelligence on Qatada's role in the Al Qaeda.

He is said to have recruited figures like Zacharias Moussaoui, who was to be the "20th hijacker" on September 11, and "shoe bomber" Richard Reid.

Quoting intelligence chiefs in Italy, Germany and France, the daily said they have evidence that Al Qaeda agents planning bomb and chemical attacks were in close contact with Qatada. Some, like the leader of an Al Qaeda cell in Spain, also visited him in London.

Last December Qatada slipped away from his home in Acton along with his pregnant wife and four children, just hours before new laws came into force allowing police to pick and intern foreign terrorist suspects.

His arrest comes just days after he broke cover to release a document, 'The Legal Vision for the Sept 11 Events', on the Internet outlining "moral" case for the attacks and praising the Al Qaeda chief for challenging the US.

PTI

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