Osama’s right-hand man acquitted

A Jordanian court on Wednesday acquitted radical Muslim preacher Abu Qatada — known for his fiery pro-al Qaeda speeches — of involvement in a plot to target Israeli and American tourists and Western diplomats in Jordan more than a decade ago.

A Jordanian court on Wednesday acquitted radical Muslim preacher Abu Qatada — known for his fiery pro-al Qaeda speeches — of involvement in a plot to target Israeli and American tourists and Western diplomats in Jordan more than a decade ago.

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The ruling capped a lengthy legal odyssey for the 53-year-old cleric who has been described as a onetime lieutenant to Osama bin Laden, but in recent months emerged as a harsh critic of the Islamic State militant group. Abu Qatada was deported from Britain to Jordan last year, after years of fighting extradition.

The cleric’s release comes at a time when Jordan views the Islamic State militants, who have seized large swaths of territory in neighboring Syria and Iraq, as a growing threat.

With his credentials as a leading jihadist preacher, Abu Qatada could help legitimize the international campaign against the Islamic State and curb the group’s appeal among Jordan’s disaffected youth, analysts said.

The preacher was given a hero’s welcome Wednesday in the Nazzal neighborhood of the Jordanian capital Amman.