"That's not something that's done lightly. You belittle the harm that people like that can do if you just write them off as a loudmouth," the source said.
"Even sitting in Lebanon, he (Bakri) is still regarded as a senior person in al-Gurabaa."
Despite this, Bakri insists his message is peaceful, saying his controversial "magnificent 19" comment was a stunt. He is also keen to stress that no criminal charges have ever been brought against him.
"When Omar Bakri in a conference called them the magnificent 19, it was to attract people like the media to come to listen to the cause and effect of 9/11. Otherwise why do you want to come to Omar Bakri?" he said.
"I am not a person who is going to be in the camp of (U.S. President) George Bush nor am I in the camp of (Osama) bin Laden. I believe we can live together and co-exist. There's no need to be fundamentalist."
Bakri also says his enforced exile was meaningless as he has regularly contacted his followers via the Internet while his followers have set up dozens of Web sites dedicated to him.
"They should open debate, discussions, dialogue with the Islamists. There is no need to censor. If you think it is bad, why do you not debate it and destroy it in national newspapers, in national media?"
Meanwhile he says other violent jihadists were able to fill the vacuum caused by his and other radical preachers' absence.
"As far as the London (7/7) bombing is concerned, the people who were involved were not the radical members of al-Muhajiroun or any other members of radical groups. It was moderate Muslims," he said.
"Those who carry violence against British society were not the radical preachers or radical Muslims, it was the radical jihadists (who) used to be moderate. Why did they change? It was not because of Omar Bakri."
The London bombings did prove the tipping point for the-then government of Prime Minister Tony Blair after Bakri appeared in interviews saying he would not tell police if he knew Muslims were plotting attacks.
Unsurprisingly, he predicts further attacks.
"I believe the al Qaeda threat is very genuine and al Qaeda is not going to rest," he said.
"I believe they are part and parcel of the Muslim community in Britain, via the internet and individuals who go abroad (to places like Pakistan).
"I used to see them there I used to hear them. The way out is for Muslim youth in Britain to have strong preachers who they trust."
(Additional reporting by Mark Trevelyan)
