Shafiq Ur Rehman had fought deportation for four years
A Muslim cleric accused of supporting terrorism is to be deported to Pakistan after losing his final appeal to the House of Lords.
His lawyer says he is now considering an appeal to the European Court.
The Law Lords spent 17 months considering whether Shafiq Ur Rehman, who is based in Oldham, Greater Manchester, was a risk to national security.
Mr Rehman, 30, had denied allegations of recruiting British Muslims for terrorist training, and raising money to fund a "holy war" in Kashmir.
The decision, announced at 1400 GMT on Thursday, appears to be the end of the road for Mr Rehman, who has been fighting against deportation since 1997.
Lord Hoffman said his judgment had been written three months before the US attacks.
But he insisted: "They are a reminder that in matters of national security, the cost of failure can be high.
National security
"This seems to me to underline the need for the judicial arm of government to respect the decisions of ministers of the Crown on the question of whether support for terrorist activities in a foreign country constitutes a threat to national security."
The Special Immigration Appeals Commission which first heard his case said he was not a threat to British national security.
But in their ruling the Law Lords said the commission had adopted too narrow a definition of what national security involved.
The decision by the highest court of the land will also have wider implications for immigration laws, as the government aims to crack down on those who allegedly back terrorist activity.
Mr Rehman's solicitor spoke of his "disappointment" at the House of Lords' ruling and warned that it would infringe the rights of everybody living temporarily in the UK.
Amjad Malik said that, rather than prosecute suspected terrorists under the Terrorism Act, the government believed it was "easier" to simply deport them
"National security will therefore be used as a tool to be rid of people who the government think are unsafe.
Mosque work
"It means that people in Britain cannot raise their concerns about their brothers in Kashmir, Palestine or Chechnya as that will be considered as participating in activities not considered safe by the Secretary of State.
"People will not be able to exercise their freedom of expression."
In 1997 then Home Secretary Jack Straw ordered Mr Rehman, who was working as an imam in one of Oldham's mosques, to be deported on the grounds that he was a threat to national security.
Mr Rehman's lawyers claimed the move was punishment for refusing MI5 attempts to recruit him as an agent.
The home secretary's decision was overturned by the Special Immigration Appeals Commission in September 1999.
Strong feelings
In May 2000 the Court of Appeal ordered the commission to reconsider, and Mr Rehman was later given permission to challenge the decision in the Lords.
The case has aroused strong feelings among British Muslims.
Mr Rehman and his wife, who first came to Britain eight years ago, have two children who were born in the UK.
Security service investigators said Mr Rehman had raised funds for the Lashkar-e Toiba Mujahideen group, which was fighting Indian forces in Kashmir, while working in Britain for its political wing, MDI.
The cleric confirmed giving money to MDI but
said it was for building schools and hospitals in
Pakistan.
-- Anonymous, October 11, 2001