Al Qaida figure to be freed: The spiritual leader of al Qaida in Europe was ordered freed on bail in London this week. Abu Qatada, a Jordanian cleric whose sermons inspired al Qaida terrorists Mohamed Atta, Zacarias Moussaoui, and Richard Reid, has been detained under British immigration rules for six years, pending extradition to his native Jordan for trial on terrorism charges. But the European Court of Human Rights recently ruled that he could not be deported because the evidence against him in Jordan was obtained through torture. This week a British court said he must therefore be released on bail and given asylum, entitling him to up to $1,600 a month in state benefits. The British government is considering an appeal. “This is a dangerous man who we believe poses a real threat to our security,” the Home Office said.
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Bucharest, Romania
Protests topple government: Protesters furious over the Romanian government’s harsh austerity measures have succeeded in ousting the government—but they want more. Prime Minister Emil Boc resigned this week, and President Traian Basescu appointed Mihai Razvan Ungureanu, a former foreign minister, to succeed him. Opposition politicians said the replacement was not enough. “We believe this is an improvised solution by Basescu to keep the current coalition in power, although most Romanians don’t agree with this,” said opposition leader Crin Antonescu. Protests continued in Romania this week, as hundreds of people called for early elections and Basescu’s resignation.
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