Muslim cleric Abu Qatada escaped deportation to Jordan in November.
Home Secretary Theresa May has lost her appeal court challenge over a decision allowing radical preacher Abu Qatada to stay in the UK.
Mrs May’s legal team submitted at a recent one-day hearing in London that Qatada was a “truly dangerous” individual who escaped deportation through “errors of law”.
The Special Immigration Appeals Commission (Siac) decided in November that Qatada could not be removed to Jordan, where he was convicted of terror charges in his absence in 1999, without “a real risk” of evidence obtained through torture being used against him at a retrial.
Lord Dyson, the Master of the Rolls, and two other judges unanimously rejected the appeal.
A Home Office statement said the department plans to seek leave to appeal.
A spokesman said: “This is not the end of the road, and the Government remains determined to deport Abu Qatada.
“We will consider this judgment carefully and plan to seek leave to appeal. In the meantime we continue to work with the Jordanians to address the outstanding legal issues preventing deportation.”
