Abu Hamza al-Masri

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Abu Hamza al-Masri : biography

15 April 1958 –

His initial reaction to life in Britain was to describe it as "a paradise, where you could do anything you wanted". He studied civil engineering at Brighton Polytechnic College.

In the early 1990s, Hamza lived in Bosnia, with a forged identity document, where he fought alongside Bosniaks against Serbs and Croats during the Bosnian War. After the war he married a Bosnian Muslim widow with three children, and fathered a further three. In recognition of services rendered during the war the Bosnian State awarded Abu Hamza citizenship, but this was rescinded after the September 11 attacks.

He lost both hands and an eye, allegedly whilst on a demining project near Jalalabad, during the war against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. He now uses a distinctive hook prosthesis replacing his right hand—which on 21 January 2003 would spark the front page headline "Sling Your Hook" from The Sun newspaper, urging him to leave Britain.. Since that time, the UK tabloid press have popularised the nickname "Hook" for Hamza (an allusion to the fictional pirate Captain Hook).http://martinfrost.ws/htmlfiles/abu_hamza.htmlhttp://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/10/us-britain-usa-exradition-hamza-idUSBRE83911Y20120410http://www.spiked-online.com/newsite/article/2495/ CNN reported that Hamza’s missing hand and eye were "injuries he says he sustained while tackling a landmine in Afghanistan".

Family

On 16 May 1980, Hamza married Valerie Traverso, a Roman Catholic convert to Islam, and had a son, Mohammed Mustafa Kamel, whom Abu Hamza later separated from his mother when the boy was four years old. His son did not see his mother again for another twelve years. He acquired British citizenship following three years of marriage and, according to The Sun newspaper, acquired a job as a bouncer for a peep show in Soho. In 1984, he divorced his wife and married Nadjet, with whom he has seven children.

In 1999 Hamza’s eldest son, Mohammed Mustafa Kamel (at the time 17 years old), and his stepson, Mohsin Ghalain, were arrested in Yemen. They were convicted of being part of a bomb plot involving eight Britons and two Algerians, and were imprisoned for three years and seven years respectively. The prosecution alleged that Abu Hamza had sent them to Yemen to carry out terrorist attacks. The defence argued that the men had been tortured and called the trial a "travesty of justice".

Arrest, charges and imprisonment

On 26 August 2004, Hamza was arrested by British police under section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000 which covers the instigation of acts of terrorism. Charges against him were dropped on 31 August 2004, but he was kept in jail whilst a U.S. extradition case was developed and British authorities drew up further criminal charges of their own. Almost two months later, on 19 October 2004, Hamza was charged with 15 offences under the provisions of various British statutes, including encouraging the murder of non-Muslims, and intent to stir up racial hatred. The trial commenced on 5 July 2005, but was adjourned, and not resumed until 9 January 2006. On 7 February 2006, he was found guilty on eleven charges and not guilty on four:

  • Guilty of six charges of soliciting murder under the Offences against the Person Act 1861; not guilty on three further such charges.
  • Guilty of three charges related to "using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour with intent to stir up racial hatred, [contrary to section 18 (1) of the Public Order Act 1986]", not guilty on one further such charge.
  • Guilty of one charge of "possession of threatening, abusive or insulting recordings of sound, with intent to stir up racial hatred [contrary to section 23 of the Public Order Act 1986]".
  • Guilty of one charge of "possessing a document containing information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism" under the Terrorism Act 2000, s58. This charge under the Terrorism Act of 2000 related to his possession of an Encyclopedia of Afghan Jihad, an Al Qaeda Handbook and other propaganda materials produced by Abu Hamza.

In sentencing, Mr Justice Hughes said Hamza had "helped to create an atmosphere in which to kill has become regarded by some as not only a legitimate course but a moral and religious duty in pursuit of perceived justice." Abu Hamza was sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment.