Editing Abu Hamza al-Masri (section)

==Extradition to the United States==
On 27 May 2004, Hamza was detained on [[Remand (detention)|remand]] by British authorities and appeared before [[magistrate]]s at the start of a process to try to [[extradition|extradite]] him to the United States. Yemen also requested his extradition. The United States wanted Hamza to stand trial for eleven counts relating to the [[December 1998 kidnapping of western tourists in Yemen|taking of sixteen hostages in Yemen]] in 1998, advocating jihad in Afghanistan in 2001, supporting [[James Ujaama]] in an alleged attempt to establish a "terrorist training camp" in late 1999 and early 2000 near [[Bly, Oregon|Bly]], Oregon, and of providing aid to al-Qaeda.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Whitehead |first=Tom |title=Abu Hamza could be out of Britain in days after losing extradition appeal|date=24 September 2012|newspaper=The Telegraph|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/9563658/Abu-Hamza-could-be-out-of-Britain-in-dots-after-losing-extradition-appeal.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120925031522/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/9563658/Abu-Hamza-could-be-out-of-Britain-in-days-after-losing-extradition-appeal.html|archive-date=25 September 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2004/May/04_crm_371.htm|title=Abu Hamza arrested in London on terrorism charges files in the United States.|publisher=[[United States Department of Justice]]|date=27 May 2004|access-date=10 April 2012|archive-date=27 October 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111027072056/http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2004/May/04_crm_371.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Ujaama is a US citizen who had met Abu Hamza in England in 1999 and was indicted in the US for providing aid to al-Qaeda, attempting to establish a terrorist training camp, and for running a website advocating global jihad.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://archives.cnn.com/2002/LAW/08/29/ujaama.background/index.html|work=CNN|title=From community activist to alleged terror conspirator|date=29 August 2002|access-date=5 May 2010|archive-date=24 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130524082426/http://archives.cnn.com/2002/LAW/08/29/ujaama.background/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Abu Hamza was in Britain throughout the relevant period.

On 15 November 2007, British courts gave permission for Hamza's extradition to the US.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7096244.stm|title=Abu Hamza could face extradition|publisher=BBC|date=15 November 2007|access-date=10 April 2012|archive-date=11 April 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120411130449/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7096244.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> Abu Hamza appealed against this decision to the [[European Court of Human Rights]] (ECHR). In the meantime, Hamza was kept in prison after the completion of his sentence.

On 8 July 2010, the ECHR temporarily blocked Hamza's extradition to the United States to face terrorism charges until the court was satisfied that he would not be treated inhumanely.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2010/jul/08/abu-hamza-human-rights-ruling|location=London|work=The Guardian|title=Abu Hamza extradition to US blocked by European court|first=Vikram|last=Dodd|date=8 July 2010|access-date=13 December 2016|archive-date=25 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170225212514/https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2010/jul/08/abu-hamza-human-rights-ruling|url-status=live}}</ref> In past cases, the ECHR prevented the UK from deporting suspected foreign terrorists to places where they might be tortured. In Hamza's case, this was extended to refusing extradition to a country where he might be jailed for life, and where the prison regime is judged too harsh. The court said there should be further legal argument on whether life without parole would be a breach of human rights. The court asked for fresh submissions on whether Hamza, and other prisoners awaiting extradition, would face inhumane treatment in the US if they were sent there to stand trial.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-7075492_ITM|work=UPI News|title=Yemen seeks Abu Hamza's extradition.(UPI Top Stories)|date=29 May 2004|access-date=22 December 2009|archive-date=22 January 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110122013623/http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-7075492_ITM|url-status=live}}</ref>

On 24 September 2012, the UK court agreed Hamza could be extradited to the US to face terrorism charges.<ref>{{cite news|last=Hue|first=Sylvia|title=UK to Extradite Radical Muslim Cleric to US|url=http://bigstory.ap.org/article/uk-extradite-radical-muslim-cleric-us|agency=Associated Press|access-date=25 September 2012|archive-date=24 September 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120924234009/http://bigstory.ap.org/article/uk-extradite-radical-muslim-cleric-us|url-status=live}}</ref> After considering all evidence statements by officials at the US [[ADX Florence]] penitentiary, the court held that "conditions at ADX would not amount to ill-treatment" and also stated that "not all inmates convicted of international terrorism were housed at ADX and, even if they were, sufficient procedural safeguards were in place, such as holding a hearing before deciding on such a transfer" and that "if the transfer process had been unsatisfactory, there was the possibility of bringing a claim to both the [[Federal Bureau of Prisons]]' administrative remedy programme and the US federal courts",<ref>{{cite news|title=Court rejects claims that extraditing Abu Hamza to the US would breach his human rights|first=John|last=Hall|newspaper=[[The Independent]]|location=London|date=10 April 2012|access-date=23 February 2013|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/court-rejects-claims-that-extraditing-abu-hamza-to-the-us-would-breach-his-human-rights-7630209.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120412181311/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/court-rejects-claims-that-extraditing-abu-hamza-to-the-us-would-breach-his-human-rights-7630209.html |archive-date=2012-04-12 |url-access=limited |url-status=live}}</ref> referring to the {{USCFR|28|542}} Administrative Remedy Program. On 26 September, a High Court judge halted the extradition after Hamza launched a last-ditch appeal<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19730438|title=Abu Hamza: High Court judge halts extradition to the US|publisher=BBC|date=26 September 2012|access-date=26 September 2012|archive-date=26 September 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120926154701/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19730438|url-status=live}}</ref> but on 5 October 2012 the High Court granted the UK's government's request to extradite Hamza to the US.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Casciani|first=Dominic|date=5 October 2012|title=Abu Hamza to be extradited to US|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19842941|access-date=20 June 2018|archive-date=4 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181204170755/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19842941|url-status=live}}</ref> The removal process took place that same evening, when Hamza was taken from [[HM Prison Long Lartin]] to [[RAF Mildenhall]] in Suffolk, where he was placed into the hands of the [[United States Marshals Service]].

Abu Hamza arrived in the US on the morning of 6 October 2012 to face eleven charges relating to hostage taking, conspiracy to establish a militant training camp and calling for holy war in [[Afghanistan]]. He appeared in the [[United States District Court for the Southern District of New York]] on 6 October and was then taken into custody. He appeared in court again on 9 October and pleaded not guilty to eleven charges.<ref>{{Cite news|author1=Roth, Richard |author2=Smith, Olivia|date=9 October 2012|title=Radical Islamist Abu Hamza al-Masri pleads not guilty|newspaper=CNN|url= https://edition.cnn.com/2012/10/09/justice/us-abu-hamza-case/index.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010085514/http://edition.cnn.com/2012/10/09/justice/us-abu-hamza-case/index.html|archive-date=10 October 2012|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=Abu Hamza due in US court following extradition|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19855380|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121006170512/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19855380|archive-date=6 October 2012|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|author = Leithead, Alastair |title=Abu Hamza extradition: US court hears terror suspects |newspaper=BBC News|date=7 October 2012|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-19857517|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130324061912/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-19857517|archive-date=24 March 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>

On 14 April 2014, his trial opened with jury selection.<ref name="Guardian1"/> His lawyer, Joshua Dratel, claimed Abu Hamza cooperated with MI5 and the police to help interact with the British Muslim community.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Abu Hamza 'secretly worked for MI5' to 'keep streets of London safe'|work=The Telegraph|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/10814816/Abu-Hamza-secretly-worked-for-MI5-to-keep-streets-of-London-safe.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141022072459/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/10814816/Abu-Hamza-secretly-worked-for-MI5-to-keep-streets-of-London-safe.html|archive-date=22 October 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> On 19 May 2014, he was found guilty of the terror charges. British [[Home Secretary]] [[Theresa May]] said that she was "pleased" that Abu Hamza had "finally faced justice".<ref>{{cite news|title=Abu Hamza: Home Secretary Theresa May hails guilty verdict|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-27478998|access-date=20 May 2014|work=[[BBC News]]|date=20 May 2014|archive-date=20 May 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140520005530/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-27478998|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="reuters-1">{{Cite news|first=Joseph|last=Ax|date=19 May 2014|title=London imam Abu Hamza convicted of US terrorism charges |work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-security-imam-idUSBREA4I0NL20140519|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140519202549/https://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/19/us-usa-security-imam-idUSBREA4I0NL20140519|archive-date=19 May 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> On 9 January 2015, Hamza was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, and the entire sentence would be served at [[ADX Florence]] in [[Colorado]].<ref name=BBC /><ref>{{cite news|last1=Woolf|first1=Nicky|title=Abu Hamza sentenced to life in prison on US terrorism conviction|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/09/abu-hamza-sentenced-life-impisonment-terrorism-conviction|access-date=5 June 2016|work=The Guardian|date=9 January 2015|archive-date=23 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160423101819/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/09/abu-hamza-sentenced-life-impisonment-terrorism-conviction|url-status=live}}</ref> In U.S. confinement, his hook devices were confiscated and replaced with a prosthetic [[spork]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://nypost.com/2015/01/08/hook-handed-hate-preacher-isnt-happy-being-spork-handed-in-prison/|title=Hook-handed hate preacher isn't happy being spork-handed in prison|date=8 January 2015|newspaper=The New York Post|access-date=11 December 2017|archive-date=26 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220826223006/https://nypost.com/2015/01/08/hook-handed-hate-preacher-isnt-happy-being-spork-handed-in-prison/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In late August 2020, ''[[The Times]]'' reported that Abu Hamza had filed a lawsuit against the [[United States Attorney General|US Attorney General]] [[William Barr]] over what he described as "inhumane and degrading" conditions at ADX Florence. Hamza's complaints included solitary confinement, the removal of his prosthetic hooks despite his lack of forearms, sustaining tooth decay from opening food packages, and encountering "religious stress" from eating [[kosher]] food.<ref>{{cite news |title=Abu Hamza sues US over 'degrading' jail and his rotting teeth |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/abu-hamza-sues-us-over-degrading-jail-and-his-rotting-teeth-ptr5zjm00 |access-date=7 November 2020 |work=[[The Times]] |date=29 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201102045240/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/abu-hamza-sues-us-over-degrading-jail-and-his-rotting-teeth-ptr5zjm00 |archive-date=2 November 2020|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=UK radical preacher Abu Hamza reportedly sues US over 'Inhuman and Degrading' prison conditions |url=https://nation.com.pk/30-Aug-2020/uk-radical-preacher-abu-hamza-reportedly-sues-us-over-inhuman-and-degrading-prison-conditions?show=preview |access-date=7 November 2020 |work=[[The Nation (Pakistani newspaper)|The Nation]] |date=30 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200830131147/https://nation.com.pk/30-Aug-2020/uk-radical-preacher-abu-hamza-reportedly-sues-us-over-inhuman-and-degrading-prison-conditions?show=preview |archive-date=30 August 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>