The trial of controversial preacher Abu Hamza Al-Masri, charged with soliciting the murder of non-Muslims and other alleged crimes, was to open in London today. Hamza, the former imam of Finsbury Park Mosque in north London, faces 16 charges, including 10 of "soliciting to murder", before a jury at the Old Bailey, London's main criminal court. He is charged also with using language aimed at stirring up racial hatred and the trial was expected to last three weeks. One of the 16 charges is under the Terrorism Act 2000 — which accuses him of possession of a document, "The Encyclopedia of the Afghani Jihad", which contained information "of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism".