FO in talks with terror suspect to free BBC man

There was unease at Westminster at the Government's willingness to deal with the man described as Osama Bin Laden's ambassador in Europe.

But MPs said securing the release of Mr Johnston - whose 45th birthday was Thursday - must come first.

He has been held by Palestinian militants in Gaza since March 12, amid dramatically worsening security conditions.

Renewed violence has engulfed the Gaza Strip this week, claiming at least 49 lives.

Qatada, who is currently in a highsecurity jail fighting deportation to Jordan, made a public offer of help in a letter to the London-based Islamic Observatory Centre.

He has apparently offered to travel to Gaza with a BBC delegation in a bid to contact Mr Johnston's captors, a group called the Army of Islam.

They have already demanded that Britain frees Muslim prisoners and specifically named Qatada.

The Foreign Office confirmed: "We have been in discussions with Abu Qatada's lawyer to see whether he would be willing to make a humanitarian appeal for Alan Johnston's safe release."

Tory MP Patrick Mercer, the party's former security spokesman, said there would be unease at the Foreign Office's involvement with a man suspected of international terrorism and insisted there must be no "deal" with him.

Mr Mercer said: "I recoil from the Government using a terror suspect, but Alan Johnston's life is more important than anything else in this issue.

"We are supping with the devil here, but it is not the first time we have done so."

The death toll in Gaza continued to rise as Hamas and Fatah militants fired at each other in the fifth day of factional blood-letting.

Israel sent tanks across the border and launched three air strikes on the war-torn strip, reducing a multi-storey Hamas building to rubble.

The attacks came after Hamas fired dozens of rockets at the Israeli town of Sderot, hitting a school and other buildings.