Saturday, November 6th, 2010 VOA News A radical Muslim cleric has won an appeal against the British government’s effort to strip him of his passport.
Egyptian-born Abu Hamza is serving a seven-year prison sentence for inciting his followers to attack non-Muslims. He is also facing terrorism charges in the United States, which has been seeking his extradition.
Britain’s Special Immigration Appeals Commission ruled Friday that since Hamza has already been stripped of his Egyptian citizenship, to deny him a British passport would render him “stateless.”
Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron expressed disappointment at the decision. But he said it will not affect the ongoing extradition proceedings.
Hamza is wanted in the United States on charges of establishing an al-Qaida style training camp in the northwestern state of Oregon. The European Court of Human Rights has held up his extradition, saying his case needs further review.
Hamza is the former imam of the Finsbury Park mosque which in the 1990′s he transformed into the heart of Islamic radicalization in Britain. He is blind on one eye and his right hand has been replaced by a steel hook.
Some information in this story was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
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