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Home Front: WoT

US appeals court upholds terror conviction for imam

2018-10-24

[IsraelTimes] A US appeals court has upheld the conviction and life prison sentence given to a London imam for supporting terrorism. The 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals said Tuesday there was overwhelming evidence against Mustafa Kamel Mustafa. ...the Egypt-born one-eyed, hook-handed hate preacher generally known as Abu Hamza al-Masri, previously of Finsbury Park Mosque. He now graces the Florence, Colorado supermax prison, and was connected to more planned and executed terror plots and jihadis around the world over the past several decades than you can shake a stick at, some of them Al Qaeda... The court also ruled that Mustafa’s 2012 extradition to the US from England didn’t come with conditions preventing his incarceration at the Supermax prison in Florence, Colorado. Mustafa is missing both hands. His lawyers say he belongs at a prison better suited to people with disabilities. Ol’ Hook Hands is a dyed-in-the-wool villain of the first water. Very few are as deserving as he of a lifetime spent in Supermax solitary — made especially piquant in his case because he stupidly blew off his hands while failing to learn how to manufacture bombs in Afghanistan. In line with longstanding trial lawyer practice, his advocates, having neither law nor facts on their side, are busily pounding the table. Mustafa was convicted in 2014 of ensuring there were satellite communications for kidnappers during a 1998 attack that killed four tourists in Yemen, of supporting plans to open an al-Qaeda training camp in Bly, Oregon, and sending someone to an Afghanistan training camp.

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Home Front: WoT

Abu Hamza Aide Given 20 Years on U.S. Terror Charges

2015-10-18

[AnNahar] A Briton convicted over an attempt to set up a jihad training camp in the U.S. on orders from hate preacher Abu Hamza was sentenced to 20 years in prison Friday in New York. Haroon Aswat, who suffers from paranoid schizophrenia, cut a despondent figure in the Manhattan federal court, dressed in a faded prison shirt and wearing his long dark hair plaited in braids. The 41-year-old has already spent 11 years in jug meaning that he could qualify for early release in six years. His lawyer said he would apply for Aswat to serve out his sentence in Britannia. First tossed in the calaboose Yez got nuttin' on me, coppers! Nuttin'! in Zambia in 2005, Aswat was extradited last year to the United States where he pleaded guilty in March to one count of providing material support to Al-Qaeda and one count of conspiring to support the terror group. In a brief statement, Aswat apologized for breaking U.S. law and causing "distress" to friends and family, and said he looked forward to finding a wife, and settling down. He said he opposed violence against innocent people and recited a prayer learned in childhood, opening his statement in Arabic in the name of God and closing with a simple "amen." In 1999-2000, Aswat spent about two months in Seattle and Bly, Oregon at the behest of the radical London holy man Abu Hamza as part of a plot to set up a training camp for recruits wanting to fight in Afghanistan. Following his return to London, he traveled to Afghanistan and Pakistain in mid-2001 in order to attend a training camp. Prosecutors depicted Aswat as a man "at the right-hand of Abu Hamza" with a thirst for violent jihad who kept "a host of disturbing literature" on his computer. The 41-year-old has already spent 11 years in jug meaning that he could qualify for early release in six years. Aswat came to the United States "at the direction of one of the world's most dangerous terrorist leaders" and could pose a danger when he is released, prosecutors argued on Friday. Aswat was previously held at Broadmoor, a high-security British psychiatric hospital. His lawyer Peter Quijano told the court his client never tried to join Al-Qaeda, describing him as a "child-like" individual who embraced a "hippy lifestyle" and "self-medicated" with marijuana. After the 9/11 attacks and the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan, Aswat fled to South Africa, where he had family, and embarked on a life as an itinerant salesman of pirated CDs of Islamic chants and prayer, said the defense lawyer. Quijano told news hounds he would request his client's transfer to Britannia, where Aswat's parents are based. U.S. District Judge Katherine Forrest said it was "of the greatest importance" that he receive specialist psychiatric care and that the court would support him serving out his sentence in Britannia. The defense called for Aswat's immediate release given that he has already spent a quarter of his life in prison. Quijano said Aswat was held at least three times in isolation in the United States, despite promises to the contrary, including one five-day period in which he did not receive medication. Aswat's lawyer told the court his client never aligned himself with violence but had "felt sorry" for the one-armed Abu Hamza, becoming his assistant "doing day-to-day chores." Quijano called the Bly plot "pathetic and laughable" and said all his client had done was teach Islam, Arabic and the Koran. "What did he do there? It was minimal," he said. American government officials say Aswat was included on a list of people associated with Al-Qaeda recovered from a safe house used by 9/11 plotter Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in Pakistain. Forrest sentenced Abu Hamza to life behind bars in January for the fatal kidnapping of Western tourists in Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of. Except for a tiny handfull of Jews everthing there is very Islamic... and on a slew of terror charges, calling him "evil" and his crimes "barbaric."

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Home Front: WoT

US trial begins for Abu Hamza

2014-04-15

[Al Ahram] Jury selection began on Monday in the trial of radical Islamic holy man Abu Hamza al-Masri, accused of conspiring in a 1998 kidnapping in Yemen that resulted in the deaths of four tourists. Abu Hamza also is accused of trying to set up a jihadist training camp in Bly, Oregon, and of raising money to send bully boyz to train in Afghanistan. The 55-year-old imam, who is using his birth name, Mustafa Kamel Mustafa, during the trial, faces life in prison if convicted of the most serious charges against him. Prior to Monday, more than 200 prospective jurors filled out questionnaires that asked, among other things, whether they felt they could be impartial in a case involving terrorism-related charges. On Friday, US District Judge Katherine Forrest struck 45 potential jurors whom both prosecutors and defense lawyers agreed should be dismissed based on their answers, as well as an additional 41 jurors she decided should be excused. US prosecutors are trying to secure their second high-profile terrorism conviction in a matter of weeks, after a jury found the late Osama bin Laden ... who is now beyond all cares and woe... 's son-in-law Suleiman Abu Ghaith guilty last month. Unlike in several other terrorism-related trials, including that of Abu Ghaith, the jury will not be anonymous. Abu Hamza, who has said he is innocent, has indicated he plans to testify in his own defense. A fiery ...a single two-syllable word carrying connotations of both incoherence and viciousness. A fiery delivery implies an audience of rubes and yokels, preferably forming up into a mob... orator, Abu Hamza was extradited from Britannia in 2012 after spending several years in jail on charges of inciting his followers to kill non-believers. The Egyptian-born preacher delivered speeches and led prayers at the Finsbury Park mosque in north London. While there, according to British officials, he had contacts with several high-profile myrmidons, including Briton Richard Reid, who unsuccessfully tried to blow up a Miami-bound airplane with a bomb hidden in his shoe in 2001, and Zacarias Moussaoui, who helped plan the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States that killed nearly 3,000 people. Abu Hamza is missing one eye and both hands and is known for using a prosthetic metal hook. He has said he suffered the injuries while doing humanitarian work in Afghanistan in the 1980s, though authorities say they occurred while he fought with the mujahideen against the Soviet Union.

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Home Front: WoT

NYPD On High Alert: Trial Of Hate Preacher Abu Hamza Could Inspire Terror Across City

2014-04-03

[DailyMail] o Abu Hamza's trial for terrorism charges in New York starts this month o It's first day coincides with the beginning of Jewish holiday Passover, April 14th o The NYPD fears that the trial may incite acts of terrorism A decade after Abu Hamza was first tossed in the calaboose Don't shoot, coppers! I'm comin' out! in Britannia on a US warrant for terrorism charges, he is finally due to go on trial in Manhattan. The hook-handed holy man is facing allegations that he controlled a global network of jihadists. This week, Hamza, who was extradited from Britannia in 2012, was described as a 'star' among terrorists, by Rebecca Weiner, director of intelligence analysis for the NYPD. 'We are attuned to the possibility that his upcoming trial may inspire more terror,' Ms Weiner told religious leaders during a pre-Passover conference, the NYDailyNews reports. 'It is a major priority for us in the next couple of weeks.' Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence John Miller asserted that although the NYPD is on high alert during the trial, there is 'is no specific, credible threat' at this time. Last month, Hamza was dubbed a 'terrorist leader of global reach' by the US government who claims he sent 'lieutenants' to terror camps worldwide. Prosecutors have lodged legal papers ahead of his forthcoming trial alleging that: 'The [American] government will show that the defendant was a terrorist leader of global reach who ... sent his young lieutenants around the world to engage in terror training.' The prosecution will say the preacher used Finsbury Park mosque in north London as a recruiting base, not only inspiring jihadists with his hateful sermons, but also allegedly directly providing support to Al Qaeda from Britannia. Court papers show prosecutors consider Hamza so dangerous that they have argued jurors should be given anonymity and an armed guard for their safety. He faces 11 terrorism charges spanning America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia which go back as far as 1998. If convicted, he faces spending the rest of his life in a maximum security US prison. The trial, scheduled to last six weeks, could prove embarrassing for the British security services and previous governments who allowed the preacher to operate freely for years after he arrived here from Egypt, despite openly giving sermons praising the late Osama bin Laden ... who is no longer with us, and won't be again... in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. Court papers allege one of his 'lieutenants' from London was sent to Afghanistan for 'violent jihad training' and said he was prepared to take part in attacks against American and Jewish targets. Hamza is separately accused of trying to set up a 'jihad training camp' in Bly, Oregon where one of his followers is said to have penned a letter to Osama bin Laden saying: 'We love you here.' Hamza is also charged with involvement in a hostage-taking incident in Yemen in 1998 that led to the deaths of three Britons and an Australian. The preacher was first arrested in Britannia in May 2004 on a US extradition warrant and charged with 15 terrorism offences. In 2006 he was locked away Yez got nuttin' on me, coppers! Nuttin'! for soliciting murder and stirring up racial hatred. He was extradited to America in 2012 after a costly and protracted legal battle invoking human rights ...which are often intentionally defined so widely as to be meaningless... law. He denies all the charges.

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Europe

ECHR bars extradition British terrorist suspect to US

2013-04-16

CASE OF ASWAT v. THE UNITED KINGDOM That's Mr Haroon Aswat, ...the British national suspected of links to the July 7 London terror bombings and also wanted by US authorities over attempts to set up a terrorist training camp in Bly, Oregon... according to the text.

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Europe

Court stops UK handing four terrorism suspects to US

2010-07-09

[Dawn] European human rights judges on Thursday froze the extradition of four men from Britain to the United States because of concerns over the length of the jail terms they would receive if convicted on terrorism charges. The European Court of Human Rights wants more time to consider whether to block the extradition request because of the possibility the men could be jailed for life without parole. The four suspects, who are being held in British prisons, appealed to the European court after senior judges in London upheld a government decision in 2008 to approve the extradition. One of the men, Egyptian-born Abu Hamza, is a radical preacher who applauded the 9/11 attacks. A London court jailed him for seven years in 2006 for incitement to murder and other offences. The United States accuses him of plotting to set up a terrorist training camp in Bly, Oregon, advocating violence in Afghanistan and plotting to seize 16 hostages in Yemen. The three others fighting the US extradition request are Britons Babar Ahmad, Seyla Talha Ahsan and Haroon Rashid Aswat. Washington accuses all four of membership of al Qaeda or being involved in acts of international terrorism, the European court, based in Strasbourg, France, said on its website. Aswat faces charges of being Hamza's co-conspirator in setting up the Oregon camp. Ahmad and Ahsan are accused of plotting to kill US nationals, money laundering and giving support to the Taliban and Chechen militants. The European court rejected the suspects' argument that they would not receive a fair trial in the US courts. The judges also dismissed suggestions the men might be declared "enemy combatants" and therefore become liable to the death penalty or extraordinary rendition, the practice of secretly sending suspects overseas for questioning. However, the judges said they wanted more time to consider the human rights implications of the long prison terms the men would receive if found guilty in the United States. Hamza, Ahmad and Ahsan could be jailed for life without parole, while Aswat faces a maximum 50-year term, meaning he would be 78 before being considered for release. The judges also had concerns about the maximum security prison in Colorado where three of the men would probably be held. Hamza, who is blind in one eye, has diabetes and has lost both his forearms, is thought unlikely to be sent there. The court will consider whether conditions in the Colorado prison would breach article three of the European Convention on Human Rights that prohibits "inhuman or degrading treatment". The British government has until Sept. 2 to respond to the court's decision. The judges will give a final ruling later.

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Home Front: WoT

Trial begins in New York for al-Qaeda helpers

2009-04-14

[Al Arabiya Latest] Jury selection began in New York on Monday in the trial of three men accused of helping set up a militant training camp in rural Oregon and operating websites showing how to assemble bombs. The three suspects are Oussama Abdullah Kassir, James Ujaama and Haroon Rashid Aswat. Pleading guilty Kassir, 43, who was extradited from the Czech Republic to New York in 2007, faces multiple charges, including supporting terrorism and al-Qaeda, by attempting to set up the camp in Bly, Oregon from 1999 to early 2000. Prosecutors say Kassir and two others involved in the case were followers of Egyptian-born Abu Hamza al-Masri, a one-armed Muslim cleric who is serving a seven-year sentence in Britain for inciting his followers to murder nonbelievers. Ujaama, a former community activist in Seattle, has pleaded guilty to trying to help al-Qaeda militants and may testify at the trial in Manhattan federal court as part of a plea agreement. The other suspect in the case, Aswat, one of Masri's chief aides, is appealing against extradition to the United States. A history of terrorist actvity Prosecutors say in late 1999 Kassir and Aswat flew from London to New York and then traveled to Oregon to assess the suitability of a property for the camp. Once there Kassir set up security patrols, helped distribute CD-ROMs with instructions on how to make bombs and poison, and offered instructions in hand-to-hand combat, including how to slit a person's throat with a knife, the indictment said. The camp was never established. From December 2001 until 2005, Kassir operated at least three websites that contained manuals such as "The Mujahideen Explosives Handbook" and "The Mujahideen Poisons Handbook," according to the indictment. Pleading not guilty Kassir has pleaded not guilty to the charges. In a 2007 hearing he described the case as "unjust" and "unfair" and said he has "nothing to do with al-Qaeda." Jury selection could take a week with opening arguments in the case likely next week. Kassir, who was born in Lebanon but became a Swedish citizen in 1989, was arrested in Prague in 2005 during a layover while traveling from Stockholm to Beirut. Aswat, a British citizen, was arrested in Zambia. Al-Masri, who also faces charges for helping plot the capture of 16 western hostages in Yemen in 1998, won an interim order in 2008 from the European Court of Human Rights blocking his extradition to the United States.

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Britain

UK court: Radical cleric can't appeal extradition to US

2008-07-24

A British court ruled Wednesday that a radical Muslim preacher accused of helping to set up a terrorist training camp in rural Oregon cannot appeal against extradition to the United States to face terrorism charges. Justice Igor Judge refused Abu Hamza al-Masri's application to challenge his extradition in the House of Lords, the country's highest court of appeal. The High Court ruled last month that al-Masri should be sent to the US, where an 11-count indictment accuses him of offenses including supporting al-Qaida and the Taliban. Al-Masri's lawyers can still appeal to the European Court of Human Rights. His attorneys have questioned US assurances that he would not be mistreated or face the death penalty if convicted. US officials allege al-Masri, 51, conspired to establish a training camp in Bly, Oregon, where followers received combat and weapons training for violent jihad in Afghanistan. They also say he assisted extremists who kidnapped 16 foreign tourists in Yemen in 1998. Three British tourists and one Australian visitor were killed in a shootout between Yemeni security forces and the captors. Al-Masri also is accused of facilitating terrorist training in Afghanistan. The former imam at London's Finsbury Park Mosque, al-Masri is one of Britain's best-known Islamist radicals. The Egyptian-born preacher is blind in one eye and has hooks in place of the hands he says he lost fighting Soviet troops in Afghanistan in the 1980s. Under his leadership the Finsbury Park mosque became a magnet for extremists. Its worshipers included Sept. 11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui and "shoe bomber" Richard Reid. He was arrested in London on a US extradition warrant in 2004, but the process was put on hold while he stood trial in Britain for inciting racial hatred and encouraging followers to kill non-Muslims. He was convicted in 2006 and is serving a seven-year sentence.

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Britain

Hookboy loses battle against U.S. extradition

2008-07-23

So you'll be flying across The Pond, Abu? Two words: "traumatic decompression"... LONDON, England (CNN) -- A British judge ruled Wednesday that radical Muslim cleric Abu Hamza may not appeal an order for his extradition to the United States, where he faces terrorism-related charges, the judge's office said. The move clears the way for the Egyptian-born cleric's transfer to the U.S., where he faces 11 charges including conspiracy in connection with a 1998 kidnapping in Yemen and conspiring with others to establish an Islamic jihad, or holy war, training camp in rural Oregon in 1999. High Court Justice Igor Judge on Wednesday turned down Abu Hamza's request for permission to appeal his extradition order to the House of Lords, which is Britain's highest court, Judge's office said. Buh bye. Don't forget to write. Oh, that's right, you can't... Abu Hamza has one legal avenue left to appeal -- the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France, a British Home Office spokesman said. He has 28 days in which to launch an appeal there. That's okay, Abu. Supermax ain't going anywhere... Abu Hamza's lawyer could not immediately be reached for comment. From now on, Abu, cash up front. Oh, that's right. You don't pay me, the government does. The one-eyed, hook-handed cleric is one of the highest-profile radical Islamic figures in Britain. He is already serving a seven-year sentence there for inciting racial hatred at his north London mosque and other terrorism-related charges. Hamza has previously denied any wrongdoing, saying, "They have no evidence against me whatsoever apart from me trying basically to open the people's eyes about certain principles." And what might those be? Killing Infidels, maybe? If Abu Hamza is extradited his British sentence could be interrupted so he could stand trial in the U.S., the Home Office has said. If he receives a prison sentence in the U.S., Abu Hamza would be returned to England to complete his sentence there before serving time in the United States, the Home Office said. Abu Hamza, who is also known as Abu Ayyub al-Masri, formerly preached at the Finsbury Park Mosque in London. His followers included the so-called "shoe bomber" Richard Reid, who was convicted of trying to light a bomb in his shoes on a trans-Atlantic flight and Zacarias Moussaoui, who was charged over the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Both MENSA candidates. And Moussaoui was "convicted" too in case CNN forgot. Abu Hamza was also convicted of possessing eight video and audio recordings that prosecutors said he intended to distribute to stir up racial hatred. In all, police seized some 2,700 audio tapes and about 570 video tapes from two addresses -- one his home -- during raids in 2003. He's addicted to jihadi porn, your honor. The material included a 10-volume "encyclopedia" of Afghan jihad, which prosecutor David Perry described as "a manual for terrorism." The texts discussed how to make explosives, explained assassination methods and detailed the best means of attack. Both non-Muslims and Muslims condemned his preaching, which include praising the September 11, 2001, attacks, calling al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden a hero, and describing the 2003 Columbia shuttle disaster as punishment from Allah because the astronauts were Christian, Hindu and Jewish. He would've clapped...if he could. The U.S. accuses Abu Hamza of helping kidnappers who abducted 16 Western tourists in Yemen in December 1998. Four hostages were killed and two injured in a rescue operation. The U.S. also accuses Hamza of trying to set up terrorist training camps in Bly, Oregon, and charge that he supported militants fighting in Afghanistan.

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Britain

Hooks Hamza loses US extradition appeal

2008-06-20

Looking at 100 yr. bid in Supermax Radical Muslim cleric Abu Hamza lost his High Court battle today against extradition to the United States where he faces a potential jail sentence of 100 years. That'll give him plenty of time to learn to wipe his ass with those hooks. The decision means the hook-handed fanatic can be sent across the Atlantic to face terror charges and is likely to spend the rest of his natural life locked up for 23 hours a day in a "super-maximum" security jail in Colorado. Two High Court judges sitting in London ruled that the decision to extradite Hamza was "unassailable" but they also gave his lawyers 14 days to apply for leave to make a last ditch appeal to the House of Lords, the highest court in the land. Ultimately, he could delay the move further by taking his case to the European Court of Human Rights Followed by the appeal to Meepzor, All Knowing Oracle of the Galaxy... Hamza was the first person to be arrested under a new, streamlined Anglo-American extradition treaty in 2004. Four years later he has still not been successfully extradited but the latest ruling brought that much closer. 4 years? They consider that "streamlined"? The latest failed four-day appeal at the High Court added another estimated £100,000 to an already spiralling legal bill for taxpayers. Ah, that infidel dime... Hamza, 50, from west London, who is fitted with hooks on both his partially-amputated arms, is currently in Belmarsh prison in London serving a seven-year jail term imposed by a British court for stirring up racial hatred and inciting his followers to murder non-believers. US authorities want him to stand trial there on up to 11 terrorism charges including sending money and recruits to assist al-Qa'eda and the Taliban in Afghanistan. They allege that Hamza was involved in a global conspiracy to wage jihad against the US and other western countries. Among the most serious accusations is one that he was involved in the kidnap by Islamic radicals of 16 tourists in the Yemen in 1998. Four hostages, including three Britons, died in a rescue attempt. Hamza allegedly bought the kidnappers a satellite phone and gave them advice and assistance. US authorities also claim that he tried to set up a terrorist training camp in Bly, Oregon between 1999 and 2000. At the High Court in London Sir Igor Judge and Mr Justice Sullivan dismissed his appeal against extradition. Cherrio! Enjoy the trip across the pond. Hamza's lawyers had argued that extradition is unlawful because evidence gained from others by torture would be used against him. That would violate Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights which guarantees the right to a fair trial, they said. They also contended that it would be "unjust and oppressive" to extradite Hamza because so many years had passed since the alleged offences. Can't we just...move on? London's City of Westminster Magistrates Court had previously ruled he could be extradited and in February this year Home Secretary Jacqui Smith gave her approval. The July 7 London bombers were among those inspired by Hamza's sermons and the would-be bombers of July 21 were regular worshippers at Finsbury Park mosque in north London where he was formerly the imam. In 2003 he was dismissed from his position there after making inflammatory speeches. Sorry, Abu. We gotta let you go. No..it's not because of the hooks. Really. Hamza, who was born Mostafa Kamel Mostafa in Alexandria, Egypt, worked as a nightclub bouncer in London before marrying a British woman, fathering seven children and becoming a radical preacher. He lost both his hands and one eye in Afghanistan in the 1990s. Okay, boys, now I'm gonna juggle five grenades! He was arrested on the US charges in May 2004 but subsequently charged by British prosecutors and tried for incitement to murder at the Old Bailey where he was jailed for seven years. Hamza followed the appeal proceedings through a video link from Belmarsh where he is said to be in poor health with diabetes and raised blood pressure. Quit whining, ya bitch. In the US he faces life locked up in a 48 sq ft by 80 sq ft cell which he claims is also a breach of his human rights. How about a six foot deep hole in the ground?

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Britain

Britain to extradite radical cleric Hamza to U.S.

2008-02-08

Britain agreed on Thursday to extradite the radical Muslim cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri to the United States, where he faces terrorism charges linked to the setting up of an al Qaeda camp. The Home Office (interior ministry) ratified a court ruling of November 15, 2007, when a judge said there was nothing to prevent the Egyptian-born Hamza, 49, being sent to the United States to face justice. "This was a decision taken in the interests of justice," a Home Office spokesman said. Hamza has 14 days to appeal to the High Court. Hamza, who applauded the attacks on New York and Washington of September 11, 2001, also faces charges of involvement in plotting the seizure of 16 Western hostages in Yemen in 1998. Four of the hostages, three Britons and an Australian, were killed when Yemeni troops stormed the militants' hide-out. The U.S. indictment accuses Hamza -- who wears a hook in place of a missing hand -- of attempting to set up a terrorist training camp in Bly, Oregon, from 1999 to early 2000, and also providing support to al Qaeda and the Taliban. He is wanted on a total of 11 charges in the United States and could be face up to 100 years behind bars if convicted. In Britain, he is serving a seven-year jail term for inciting his followers to murder non-believers.

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Britain

Hook-Hand could be coming to U.S. real soon now

2007-11-16

A British court ruled Thursday that radical Muslim cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri could be extradited to the United States to face terrorism charges including trying to set up an al Qaeda training camp in Oregon. Egyptian-born Hamza, 49, serving a seven-year jail term in Britain for inciting his followers to murder nonbelievers, is wanted by U.S. authorities on 11 charges. The U.S. indictment accuses Hamza — who had a hook in place of a missing hand — of attempting to set up a terrorist training camp in Bly, Oregon, from 1999 to early 2000, and also providing support to al Qaeda and the Taliban. Hamza, who applauded the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington in 2001, also faces charges that he was involved in plotting the seizure of 16 Western hostages in Yemen in 1998. Four of the hostages, three Britons and an Australian, were killed when Yemeni troops stormed the militants' hide-out. Hamza was quizzed at the time by British police but was not charged and Washington said it had since obtained new evidence — an interview the cleric had given to one of the hostages who survived. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of up to 100 years in prison. That's one hundred years American, not Euro. London's City of Westminster Magistrates' Court approved the extradition but the decision now has to be ratified by the British home secretary (interior minister). "We continue to watch these ongoing legal proceedings carefully with respect to his (Hamza's) extradition request and are hopeful that ultimately he will be able to stand trial in New York," U.S. Justice Department spokesman Dean Boyd said in Washington. Under new extradition laws brought in this year, suspects can be extradited from Britain to the United States while they are serving a jail term. However, in a rare British rebuke of the U.S. penal system, Judge Timothy Workman criticized the solitary confinement regime at top U.S. security prisons and said its use could be enough to block an extradition on human rights grounds. "In my view if such a regime were to be applied for a lengthy, indefinite period it could properly amount to inhuman and degrading treatment which would violate article 3 (of the European Convention on Human Rights)," Workman said. Fortunately our views differ. Hamza, a former nightclub bouncer, was jailed by a London court in February 2006 over sermons which prosecutors said repeatedly advocated the killing of Jews and other non-Muslims. Although he was never linked to any specific plot, police said his Finsbury Park Mosque had acted as a base for militants. A number of Islamists jailed for plotting attacks in Britain in recent years worshiped there, and the mosque had attracted the likes of convicted "shoebomber" Richard Reid and jailed September 11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui. Hamza, who has one eye and wore the hook in place of two hands he lost in Afghanistan, had long been a hate figure for the British tabloid press, a sentiment that grew in intensity after the London bombings in July 2005. However after his conviction, his British lawyer said Hamza felt he was a "prisoner of faith." His lawyers said they would fight the extradition request on human rights grounds and argued he should be tried in Britain over the Yemen charges.

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