Abu Qatada denied bail by Jordan military court

The radical preacher has been refused bail after arriving in Jordan three weeks ago

Abu Qatada has been denied bail by Jordanian authorities (Andy Rain/EPA)

A Jordanian prosecutor has said radical Muslim preacher Abu Qatada has been refused bail by the country's military court after being deported from Britain to be retried in Jordan on terrorism charges.

Qatada's lawyer, Tayseer Thiab, confirmed that the court rejected bail.

The 53-year-old preacher was convicted in absentia of conspiring to carry out terrorist attacks against Israelis, Americans and other Westerners in Jordan in two alleged foiled plots in 1999 and 2000, but is receiving a new trial under Jordanian law.

Qatada was arrested in 2001 and spent eight years locked in a legal battle in order to avoid extradition. He was deported from Britain to Jordan three weeks ago after a treaty was signed stating that evidence gathered through torture would not be used against him.

He is currently being detained at Jordan's Muwaqqar prison.

The prosecutor, who cannot be identified under court regulations, declined to elaborate on Sunday's decision. However, suspects accused of serious crimes such as terrorism are rarely granted bail.

Additional reporting by PA