London, England - The British-based radical Muslim cleric Sheikh Omar Bakri Mohammed was today detained in Lebanon by the Lebanese authorities.
"Sheikh Bakri was picked up by security forces as he was on his way to a local television station for an interview," a Lebanese security source told Reuters. It is believed Mr Bakri's links to militant groups are being investigated.
The Foreign Office confirmed that the cleric was being held, but said it was not at Britain's request.
Mr Bakri, who created controversy when he said he would not tell the police if he knew of Muslims plotting bomb attacks, voluntarily left Britain for Lebanon over the weekend.
His departure came after the prime minister, Tony Blair, announced on Friday that he intended to ban Hizb ut-Tahrir, an Islamist group Mr Bakri help found in Britain, and successor organisations to its breakaway al-Muhajiroun sect. He set up al-Muhajiroun in 1996 to campaign for sharia law in Britain.
On the same day, the Home Office outlined anti-terror proposals that could see foreign nationals deported or excluded from Britain on the grounds of justifying or glorifying terrorism.
The 45-year-old Syrian-born Mr Bakri this week denied he had fled. He said he was enjoying a holiday with his mother in Beirut and planned to return to his family in London.
It later emerged from the Home Office that the anti-terror proposals on foreign nationals could be introduced within weeks, effectively blocking his re-entry.
On July 20, the home secretary, Charles Clarke, named Mr Bakri in the Commons as one of the two principal targets of his new powers, alongside Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi.
This means Mr Bakri can expect to be banned from re-entering Britain unless he returns within the next three weeks.
Mr Clarke does not need primary legislation to implement the restrictions, which he can introduce under existing immigration rules. The home secretary is expected to do so once a two-week consultation period has been completed.
Mr Bakri's wife's family is Lebanese, and he has citizenship in both Syria and Lebanon.