Britain is expected to fly radical Islamist cleric Abu Qatada to Jordan today to face terror charges, ending a decade-long legal battle over the fate of the man once dubbed Osama bin Laden's right-hand-man in Europe.

London is deporting the 53-year-old Palestinian-born cleric after the two governments last month formally approved a treaty guaranteeing that evidence obtained by torture would not be used against him in any trial.

Prime Minister David Cameron has said he will be "one of the happiest people in Britain" after the departure of Abu Qatada, who has been in and out of British prisons while successive British governments have

tried to expel him.

British officials refused to confirm any details, but local media reported he would be driven from the high security Belmarsh jail in south London and flown out at 2:00 am (0100 GMT) Sunday from RAF Northolt airbase in west London.

His wife and five children are expected to remain in Britain, where he first came in 1993 seeking asylum.

A Jordanian official told AFP earlier this week that Abu Qatada was expected to leave Britain "in the early hours of Sunday" and arrive later that morning in Jordan.

"He will arrive in Jordan on a military plane, escorted by Jordanian and British guards," the official said.