BRITAIN: Abu Hamza, the radical Muslim preacher based in north London whom the US authorities have charged with terrorism, gave a slight laugh and shrugged his shoulders when he was asked in court yesterday if he would consent to being extradited to the United States. "I don't really think I want to. No," he said.
Egyptian-born Hamza was appearing at the top-security Belmarsh Magistrates' Court in south-east London on a US extradition warrant. He confirmed his name and date of birth before the charges were put to him by the clerk of the court. Above him in the public gallery, more than a dozen of his supporters sat alongside anti-Hamza protesters.
Hamza, whose missing right hand has been replaced with a hook, is accused of hostage-taking and conspiring to set up terrorist training camps in Oregon and Afghanistan. Giving details of the charges in New York, the US Attorney General, Mr John Ashcroft, said that 47-year-old Hamza would face the death penalty if convicted.
Details of the charges were revealed by Mr Ashcroft at a press conference in New York as Hamza, who was arrested in a pre-dawn raid on his London home, was preparing to appear in court in London.
Mr Ashcroft told reporters that Hamza faces charges of conspiracy to take hostages and hostage-taking in connection with the Yemen incident in 1998 which resulted in the death of four hostages - including Britons Dr Peter Rowe (60), Ms Ruth Williamson (34) and Ms Margaret Whitehouse (52).
Mr Ashcroft said that Hamza faced charges of providing support and resources to terrorists, "specifically al-Qaeda". He is also charged with attempting to set up a training camp for "violent jihad" in Bly, Oregon, in 1999, with attempting to set up a terror training camp in Afghanistan and with supporting the Taliban
He was first linked to a group facing trial on kidnapping charges in Yemen in 1999. He was arrested and questioned by Scotland Yard detectives, but was freed without charge.
Hamza, who claims to have lost an eye and a hand clearing Soviet mines in Afghanistan, has faced attempts in the past to extradite him directly to Yemen, where he is also wanted on terrorism charges.