Theresa May will try to overturn a court decision that bans Abu Qatada from being deported in the latest battle of the decade-long saga.
The Home Secretary has asked the Court of Appeal for permission to appeal its decision last month that the hate cleric cannot be sent to Jordan.
If granted, justices in the Supreme Court, the highest court in the country, will hear the case.
The Home Office said it remained “committed to deporting this dangerous man”.
Qatada is wanted in Jordan to face terror charges but has successfully resisted deportation for more than a decade.
The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that his removal would breach his right to a fair trial because there is a risk that evidence obtained by torture would be used against him.