Abu Hamza 'to be extradited'
Smith signs extradition order
Friday, 08, Feb 2008 12:00
The radical cleric Abu Hamza faces extradition to the US unless his lawyers successfully fight the home secretary's ruling.
Jacqui Smith signed the order yesterday saying 49-year-old Hamza could be extradited to the US to answer terror-related charges.
He has been accused of involvement in the 1998 kidnapping of 16 western hostages in Yemen and of links to the Taliban and Al-Qaida.
He has also been charged with attempting to set-up a terror training camp in Oregon in 1999.
But Hamza's lawyers doubt the credibility of the evidence against him and confirmed today they would be mounting a challenge within the required 14 days.
His lawyer Muddassar Arani told the Guardian her client would be held in an "inhuman and degrading way" if he was sent to the US, where he is likely to be held in isolation in a 'supermax prison'.
Hamza is currently serving a seven-year sentence in the UK for inciting hatred. The Home Office wants him extradited before he completes his sentence.
Meanwhile, the government has confirmed the controversial cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi has been denied a visa to enter the UK.
The Conservatives had called on the prime minister to refuse entry to the radical Egyptian preacher who defends suicide bombings.
The Muslim Council of Britain has criticised the decision and accused the government of bowing to Tory pressure.