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UK holds 10 on security grounds
 One of those held is al Qaeda "spiritual ambassador" Abu Qatada, British media reports say. RELATEDSPECIAL REPORT
QUICKVOTEYOUR E-MAIL ALERTSLONDON, England (CNN) -- Britain has detained 10 foreign nationals who it says are a threat to national security and says it plans to deport them. In a statement Thursday, Home Secretary Charles Clarke said the presence of the unnamed 10 individuals was "not conducive to the public good." Abu Qatada, described as al Qaeda's spiritual ambassador in Europe, is believed to be among the 10 held, wire reports and global security analyst M.J. Gohel said. (Full story) Clarke said in his statement: "In accordance with my powers to deport individuals whose presence in the UK is not conducive to the public good for reasons of national security, the immigration service has today detained 10 foreign nationals who I believe pose a threat to national security." "The circumstances of our national security have changed. It is vital that we act against those who threaten it." The action follows two sets of terrorist attacks in London last month that killed 52 people and four suicide bombers. The foreign nationals will be deported under the Immigration Act of 1971, Clarke said, which also gives him the power to hold them pending deportation. "Following months of diplomatic work, we now have good reason to believe that we can get the necessary assurances from the countries to which we will return the deportees so that they will not be subject to torture or ill treatment," he said. Last week, British Prime Minister Tony Blair announced new measures to deport and exclude from Britain anyone advocating hatred and violence. Blair said human rights law would be amended if necessary to counter Islamic extremists. The government also plans to draw up a list of extremist Web sites, book shops and organizations that promote extremism, he said. The prime minister said the government plans a one-month consultation period to determine new criteria for excluding and deporting people from Britain. Blair said new legislation, which is expected to be passed by the end of the year, will also outlaw "indirect incitement" of terrorism. The measure is seen as an effort to crack down on extremist Islamic clerics who glorify acts of terrorism. In addition, the law would ban the training of terrorist techniques in Britain or in any other country. Qatada, 44, a Jordanian father of five who has lived in the UK for 12 years, is currently the subject of a control order at his London home. Thursday's detentions follow the signing of a memorandum of understanding with Jordan yesterday ensuring deportees would not be mistreated on their return. (Full story) Prime Minister Tony Blair also had "constructive conversations" with authorities in Algeria and Lebanon last week over guaranteeing the safety of deportees. In all, Britain is looking for assurances from 10 countries, a Home Office spokeswoman told PA. The police forces involved in today's detentions were the Metropolitan Police, Bedfordshire, Leicestershire and the West Midlands, the Home Office told PA. As a signatory to the European Convention on Human Rights, Britain is not allowed to deport people to a country where they may face torture or death. Global security analyst M.J. Gohel, from the Asia Pacific Foundation, a London-based think tank, told CNN's Ralitsa Vassileva that Abu Qatada is believed to be among the 10 detained on Thursday. He said Qatada, a Jordanian, had been described as Osama "bin Laden's ambassador to Europe." A judge had once described him as a "very dangerous individual," Gohel said. Although British authorities had not released the identities or nationalities of those being held, Gohel believed they were all of Jordanian origin and that until now the European Convention on Human Rights had prevented Britain taking action against them. "Yesterday Britain made an agreement with Jordan that these individuals can be deported and Jordan would not execute them. I think, as a result of that, these individuals have been arrest and in due course will be deported," Gohel said. Copyright 2005 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report. 
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