Lebanon freed the radical Muslim cleric Omar Bakri Mohammed on Friday, hours after Britain declared he would not be allowed to return to its shores. Lebanon's prosecutor general, Judge Said Mirza, told The Associated Press he ordered Bakri's release after it appeared "that he has not yet committed any crime and there are no criminal records against him." Mirza added Bakri was a free man.
| As lawless as Lebanon has been, you'd think they could come up with something. |
It was not immediately clear where Bakri was headed after his release from the General Security building in east Beirut.
| "Feets get me outta here!" |
General Security officers arrested Bakri in Beirut on Thursday, five days after he flew to Lebanon on holiday from Britain, where he has lived for the past 20 years.
Britain said Friday it had barred the Muslim cleric from returning because his presence was "not conducive to the public good."
During his detention, the General Security department said he was being questioned about the circumstances of his entry to Lebanon. Lebanese newspapers reported that Syria would like Lebanon to hand over Bakri, but this could not be confirmed with the Syrian authorities on Friday - the Muslim sabbath. Bakri, 45, holds Syrian and Lebanese citizenship.
| And a British welfare card. |
He caught British public attention recently when he said he would not inform the police if he knew Muslims were planning attacks such as the July 7 suicide bombings in London that killed 56 people, including four attackers. He claimed Islam prohibited him from reporting Muslims to the British police.
British prosecutors said they were studying Bakri's remarks with a view to charging him with solicitation of murder or incitement to withhold information known to be of use to police.
In an interview with Lebanon's Future TV, recorded minutes before his arrest, Bakri said he was being targeted for his political views and would not return to Britain. He denied any links to al-Qaida or any other group of terrorists.
In Britain, Bakri founded the now-disbanded radical Islamic group al-Muhajiroun, which came under official scrutiny, particularly after some of its members praised the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States. In an interview published in the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Anba on Friday, Bakri condemned the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, saying he did not condone violence except in cases of resistance against foreign occupation.
He added he did not intend to get involved in political or religious activities while in Lebanon, where he plans to settle. |