Acton: An Acton man and Muslim cleric described as Osama bin Laden's 'key' British contact is to launch a High Court battle to have his income support payments resumed.

Palestinian refugee and convicted terrorist Omar Mohammed Othman, 42, of Noel Road, had his payments withheld after the Metropolitan Police anti-terrorist squad discovered £180,000 in sterling and a variety of other foreign currencies in a raid on his home earlier this year.

Mr Othman, also known as Omar Abu Omar or Abu Qatada, was among the fundamentalists named in the list of suspected Islamic terrorists issued by the United Nations after the September 11 attacks on the United States.

November 30, 2001 15:30