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ARMED anti-terror detectives have arrested the man described as Osama bin Laden’s “ambassador to Europe”.
Hardline cleric Abu Qatada was seized in a raid on a London flat.
The 42-year-old has been accused by eight countries of being a pivotal figure in the al-Qa’ida network.
He was also dubbed “Britain’s most wanted man” following the September 11 strikes.
But last month French security accused MI5 of “hiding” Qatada and his family in a safe house in northern England.
He had not been seen for ten months since he went on the run from his home in Acton, West London, in a people carrier.
However, he recently broke cover to praise bin Laden for the Twin Towers attacks in a ten-page essay on the internet.
And on Wednesday Scotland Yard’s anti-terrorist unit and MI5 swooped on an address in Bermondsey, South London.
Last night insiders described his arrest as a “major breakthrough”.
Qatada — real name Sheikh Omar Mahmood Abu Omar — is being held in maximum security Belmarsh Prison, East London.
He is alleged to have recruited key players including “twentieth hijacker” Zacharias Moussaoui and Shoe Bomber Richard Reid.
European intelligence chiefs also claim to have evidence of his close contact with bin Laden’s henchmen. Some may even have made frequent visits to London.
Qatada fled days before the tough Anti-Terrorist and Security Act came into force. He was expected to be the first to be held under its powers.
Last night the Met confirmed a 42-year-old had been arrested.
