Terrorist suspect bailed to live with family
By Richard Ford, Home Correspondent and Sean ONeill
AN ISLAMIC terrorist suspect wanted in the US for al-Qaeda attacks which killed 224 people will today be reunited with his family after being freed on bail from a mental hospital.
The Egyptian-born suspect is to leave Broadmoor top- security hospital to live at a designated address in London after David Blunkett agreed he could be released on bail.
The Home Secretary agreed the release of the man, who can only be known as Mr X for legal reasons, because he is suffering from terminal bone cancer. But a senior judge urged the Home Secretary to speed up making a final decision on whether to extradite Mr X, who has been in custody in Britain for five years.
Mr X, aged 43, a married man with six children, is facing extradition to the United States where he is accused of being a member of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, a terrorist organisation that merged with al-Qaeda in 1997.
He is also accused of conspiring to murder US citizens abroad and of giving direct orders to the cell that carried out the bombings in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam in 1998 that killed 224 and injured 4,000. He denies the charges.
Mr Justice Collins granted him bail late yesterday with conditions which mean the suspect will live under virtual house arrest. He will be electronically tagged and allowed to leave the address only to undergo medical treatment for bone cancer.
(MORE)
Sure do. And a view of Long Island Sound as well.