Radical Muslim cleric Abu Hamza sentenced to life in U.S. prison

The radical London cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri was sentenced to life in a U.S. prison on Friday for his conviction on terrorism-related charges, including his role in the 1998 kidnapping of Western tourists in Yemen that left four hostages dead. U.S. District Judge Katherine Forrest in New York City imposed the sentence on the one-eyed, handless Abu Hamza, whom jurors found guilty last May of providing a satellite phone and advice to the kidnappers. Abu Hamza was also convicted of sending two followers to the U.S. state of Oregon to establish a militant training camp and dispatching an associate to Afghanistan to aid al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

Abu Hamza’s blood-soaked journey from cleric to convict, from imam to inmate, is now complete.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara in a statement

Given a chance to speak Friday, Abu Hamza maintained his innocence and called for a worldwide investigation into the cause of the World Trade Center’s collapse on September 11, 2001. He spent most of 15 minutes complaining about his difficulties in prison as a double amputee with other health problems. Lawyers of Abu Hamza, who was indicted in the U.S. in 2004, argued at the trial that he did not participate in any conspiracy. They said the government’s case rested largely on the incendiary language he employed in media interviews and the sermons he gave at the Finsbury Park mosque in north London, which earned him notoriety in Britain.

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