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Hate preacher is kicked out of UK
Last updated at 15:07pm on 25.05.07
Deported:Sheikh Abdullah al-Faisal is on his way out of Britain after serving a sentence for spreading hate
Hate preacher Sheikh Abdullah al-Faisal has been deported to Jamaica by the Home Office after losing a court battle to stay in the country.
The cleric, who was convicted in 2003 of inciting murder and stirring up racial hatred, was put on a Kingston-bound plane after he served his sentence.
His removal marks a significant victory for the Home Office which successfully defeated a human rights bid by al-Faisal to remain in the country.
Announcing the deportation, Home Secretary John Reid said: “We will not tolerate those who seek to spread hate and fear in our communities. I am pleased al-Faisal has been removed. We are committed to protecting the public and have made it clear that foreign nationals who abuse our hospitality and break our laws can expect to be deported.”
Al- Faisal, 43 , who was described in the official Home Office account of the 7/7 attacks as a “strong influence” on bomber Jermaine Lindsay, was jailed for seven years in 2003.
At his sentencing at the Old Bailey, Judge Peter Beaumont said al-Faisal had “fanned the flames of hostility” by urging followers to “kill those who did not share your faith” and recommended his deportation at the end of his sentence.
Al-Faisal attended and preached at Brixton Mosque, where shoe bomber Richard Reid is believed to have met Zacharias Moussaoui, the “20th hijacker” in the September 11 attacks.
He urged followers to “fly planes, drive tanks, load your guns” to kill “all unbelievers”. He told Muslim women to give their children toy guns to instill “the jihad mentality” and tried to recruit boys to terror training camps, promising them “72 virgins in paradise” if they died fighting a holy war.
Al-Faisal, a twice-married father of four, had his appeal against removal rejected by the High Court last month.
