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| Abu Hamza: Home Secretary Theresa May hails guilty verdict | Abu Hamza: Home Secretary Theresa May hails guilty verdict |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The UK home secretary has hailed the verdict of a New York court which found radical Muslim cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri guilty of supporting terrorism. | |
| Theresa May said the conviction came after the government's successful bid to have him extradited from the UK, where he rose to prominence for his fiery sermons at a north London mosque. | |
| Abu Hamza, who is due to be sentenced on 9 September, could face a life term. | |
| The court heard he aided the kidnappers of 16 tourists in Yemen in 1998. | The court heard he aided the kidnappers of 16 tourists in Yemen in 1998. |
| The 56-year-old was also accused of attempting to build a terror training camp in Oregon in the north-western US. | |
| He showed little emotion in court as the verdict was read out, only answering "yes" when his lawyer asked if he was OK. | He showed little emotion in court as the verdict was read out, only answering "yes" when his lawyer asked if he was OK. |
| He was extradited from the UK, where he preached at the Finsbury Park mosque, after having been jailed for seven years for inciting murder and racial hatred. | |
| In New York the jury of eight men and four women reached a unanimous guilty verdict on all 11 terror charges. | In New York the jury of eight men and four women reached a unanimous guilty verdict on all 11 terror charges. |
| Manhattan US Attorney Preet Bharara said: "The defendant stands convicted, not for what he said, but for what he did. | Manhattan US Attorney Preet Bharara said: "The defendant stands convicted, not for what he said, but for what he did. |
| "Abu Hamza was not just a preacher of faith, but a trainer of terrorists. | "Abu Hamza was not just a preacher of faith, but a trainer of terrorists. |
| "Once again our civilian system of justice has proven itself up to the task of trying an accused terrorist and arriving at a fair and just and swift result." | "Once again our civilian system of justice has proven itself up to the task of trying an accused terrorist and arriving at a fair and just and swift result." |
| Reacting to the verdict, Mrs May said: "I am pleased that Abu Hamza has finally faced justice. He used every opportunity, over many years, to frustrate and delay the extradition process." | Reacting to the verdict, Mrs May said: "I am pleased that Abu Hamza has finally faced justice. He used every opportunity, over many years, to frustrate and delay the extradition process." |
| 'Religious war' | 'Religious war' |
| Abu Hamza was arrested in May 2004 on a US arrest warrant. | Abu Hamza was arrested in May 2004 on a US arrest warrant. |
| The 11 charges against him included allegations that he arranged satellite communications for a group of kidnappers in Yemen who carried out a deadly attack in which four hostages were killed. | The 11 charges against him included allegations that he arranged satellite communications for a group of kidnappers in Yemen who carried out a deadly attack in which four hostages were killed. |
| He was eventually also found guilty of conspiring in 1999-2000 to establish an al-Qaeda training camp in Bly, Oregon, among other acts. | He was eventually also found guilty of conspiring in 1999-2000 to establish an al-Qaeda training camp in Bly, Oregon, among other acts. |
| He was convicted of various crimes including hostage taking, conspiring to provide material support to terrorists, and abetting religious war in Afghanistan. | He was convicted of various crimes including hostage taking, conspiring to provide material support to terrorists, and abetting religious war in Afghanistan. |
| His defence team said he would appeal, claiming that too much weight had been given to comments he had made on unrelated matters. | His defence team said he would appeal, claiming that too much weight had been given to comments he had made on unrelated matters. |
| "Bin Laden, al-Qaeda, 9/11, World Trade Centre, USS Cole - all those things which our client was not charged with specifically, they played much more of a role than we believe it should have," his lawyer Jeremy Schneider said outside court. | "Bin Laden, al-Qaeda, 9/11, World Trade Centre, USS Cole - all those things which our client was not charged with specifically, they played much more of a role than we believe it should have," his lawyer Jeremy Schneider said outside court. |
| 'Helped MI5' | 'Helped MI5' |
| Born Mustafa Kamel Mustafa, Abu Hamza al-Masri came to Britain from Egypt in 1979. Before gaining notoriety as an Islamist, he had worked at a strip club in London's Soho. | Born Mustafa Kamel Mustafa, Abu Hamza al-Masri came to Britain from Egypt in 1979. Before gaining notoriety as an Islamist, he had worked at a strip club in London's Soho. |
| He told the court he lost an eye and both his hands - not, as he had previously claimed, from fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan - but during an accident in Pakistan when liquid explosives intended for use in a road construction project went off by mistake. | He told the court he lost an eye and both his hands - not, as he had previously claimed, from fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan - but during an accident in Pakistan when liquid explosives intended for use in a road construction project went off by mistake. |
| It was after this that he began wearing a hook in place of his hands which, along with his missing eye, made him a distinctive figure among British Islamists. | It was after this that he began wearing a hook in place of his hands which, along with his missing eye, made him a distinctive figure among British Islamists. |
| The BBC's security correspondent Frank Gardner said he was ousted from Finsbury Park mosque where he had been an "extremist imam" but was allowed to continue preaching. | The BBC's security correspondent Frank Gardner said he was ousted from Finsbury Park mosque where he had been an "extremist imam" but was allowed to continue preaching. |
| His defence claimed in the trial that he had assisted MI5 "to keep the streets of London safe". | His defence claimed in the trial that he had assisted MI5 "to keep the streets of London safe". |
| But the prosecution portrayed him as a terrorism boss, recruiting and despatching young men on missions around the world. | But the prosecution portrayed him as a terrorism boss, recruiting and despatching young men on missions around the world. |
| They said the calm figure who had appeared during the trial was a fraud. | They said the calm figure who had appeared during the trial was a fraud. |