Abu Hamza Appealing Exradition to US
Lawyers for the radical Muslim cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri, convicted in Britain of race-hate crimes and soliciting murder, began a legal challenge Monday against his extradition to the United States.
The Egyptian-born former imam of the once notorious Finsbury Park mosque in north London is wanted for allegedly trying to set up an Al-Qaeda training camp in the northwest US state of Oregon.
But his legal team are arguing at London’s High Court that his extradition, which was signed by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith in February this year, should be blocked as evidence gained by torture was being used against him.
Lawyer Alun Jones told the court in written arguments that his client should be tried in London, not the United States, because he was living here at the time of the alleged offences.