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Radical Islamic Preacher Abu Hamza Al-Masri & 4 Other Terrorism Suspects Extradited to the U.S.

Oct. 6, 2012 12:35pm
Radical Islamic Preacher Abu Hamza Al Masri, 4 Other Terrorism Suspects Extradited to the U.S.

Imam Abu Hamza al-Masri, shown here in 2003, and four other terrorism suspects were extradited to the U.S. Saturday. (Getty Images)

NEW YORK (AP) — An ailing extremist Egyptian-born preacher and four other terrorism suspects arrived in the United States from England early Saturday under tight security to face trial, and two appeared within hours in a Connecticut court.

The preacher, Abu Hamza al-Masri, was taken to a lockup next to the federal courthouse in lower Manhattan to face charges that he conspired with Seattle men to set up a terrorist training camp in Oregon and that he helped abduct 16 hostages, two of them American tourists, in Yemen in 1998.

Just hours after their arrival in America, Syed Talha Ahsan, 33, and Babar Ahmad, 38, pleaded not guilty in federal court in New Haven, Conn., to charges that they provided terrorists in Afghanistan and Chechnya with cash, recruits and equipment.

Ahmad made efforts to secure GPS devices, Kevlar helmets, night vision goggles, ballistic vests and camouflage uniforms, prosecutors said.

They were kept detained while they await trial in Connecticut, where an Internet service provider was allegedly used to host a website. Their lawyers declined to comment.

Al-Masri, a one-time nightclub bouncer, will be housed in Manhattan along with Khaled al-Fawwaz, 50, a citizen of Saudi Arabia, and Adel Abdul Bary, 52, an Egyptian citizen, who will face trial on charges that they participated in the bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa in 1998. The attacks killed 224 people, including 12 Americans. They were indicted in a case that also charged Osama bin Laden.

Al-Masri, al-Fawwaz and Bary were scheduled to make an initial appearance Saturday in federal court in Manhattan.

U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara called the extraditions “a watershed moment in our nation’s efforts to eradicate terrorism.”

He added: “As is charged, these are men who were at the nerve centers of Al Qaeda’s acts of terror, and they caused blood to be shed, lives to be lost, and families to be shattered.”

In the 1990s, al-Masri turned London’s Finsbury Park Mosque into a training ground for extremist Islamists, attracting men including Sept. 11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui and “shoe bomber” Richard Reid.

Al-Masri is not the first ailing Egyptian-born preacher to be brought to Manhattan for trial. A blind sheik, Omar Abdel-Rahman, is serving a life sentence after he was convicted in 1995 in a plot to assassinate then-Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and in another to blow up New York landmarks, including the United Nations and two tunnels and a bridge linking New Jersey to Manhattan. Abdel-Rahman has numerous health issues, including heart trouble.

In England, lawyers for the 54-year-old al-Masri, who has one eye and hooks in place of hands he claims to have lost fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan, said he suffers from depression, chronic sleep deprivation, diabetes and other ailments.

The overnight trip to the United States came after a multi-year extradition fight that ended Friday, when Britain’s High Court ruled that the men had no more grounds for appeal and could be sent to the U.S. immediately. The men have been battling extradition for between eight and 14 years.

“I’m absolutely delighted that Abu Hamza is now out of this country,” British Prime Minister David Cameron said. “Like the rest of the public I’m sick to the back teeth of people who come here, threaten our country, who stay at vast expense to the taxpayer and we can’t get rid of them.”

“I’m delighted on this occasion we’ve managed to send this person off to a country where he will face justice,” he added.

Al-Masri has been in a British jail since 2004 on separate charges of inciting racial hatred and encouraging followers to kill non-Muslims.

While al-Masri has been portrayed in the British media as one of the most dangerous men in the country, the case against Ahmad in Connecticut has raised concerns among legal experts and human rights advocates.

Some lawyers and lawmakers have expressed concerns because Britain agreed to extradite him even though his alleged crimes were committed in Britain and British courts declined to prosecute him for lack of evidence. Ahmad and Ahsan are accused of running websites to support Afghanistan’s ousted Taliban regime, Chechen rebels and associated terrorist groups.

In prison since 2004, Ahmad, a London computer expert, has been held without charge for the longest period of any British citizen detained since the Sept. 11 attacks.

In a statement read on his behalf outside court in London Friday, Ahmad said his case had exposed flaws in U.S.-U.K. extradition arrangements. “I leave with my head held high, having won the moral victory,” he said.

His father, Ashfaq Ahmad, said he would continue to fight for his son.

“It’s not just one Babar Ahmad. Tomorrow there will be another Babar Ahmad and another one,” he said.

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Comments (57)

1 2
  • pwatkins
    Posted on October 7, 2012 at 2:59am

    My 7 year old granddaughter saw Imam Abu Hamza al-Masri on TV and said why does that man have half of a watermelon on his head? I only laughed bc I knew if I made anything out of it she may face ridicule for a racist remark in the future and I wouldn’t dare want her saying terrorist in a public school, now would I?. I do believe watermelon may already be in the Race Word book too.

    Report this comment

    pwatkins  
  • blackyb
    Posted on October 6, 2012 at 10:22pm

    Uhhh…so they can run for President?

    Report this comment

    blackyb  
  • christos
    Posted on October 6, 2012 at 6:16pm

    ….Part of “The Project”.

    Report this comment

    christos  
  • Bernese2008
    Posted on October 6, 2012 at 5:59pm

    I didn’t think we called them terrorists anymore are you sure they are not just dinner guests at the White House? I mean they would fit right in with the bunch Obama is inviting to dinner..

    Report this comment

    Bernese2008  
  • forthepeople
    Posted on October 6, 2012 at 5:01pm

    Just like Dahmer ( jeffery ) I thought who would really care to hear on the news that they we shot trying to escape ? end of story , save our courts millions and open up there schedule to tax payers whom need them .

    Report this comment

    forthepeople  
  • Nanaswords
    Posted on October 6, 2012 at 4:40pm

    It is certain that England is happy to get rid of these persons ! Now we in America have them within our borders to do what?????? and what for ?????? This is NOT A GOOD POSITION for our Nation at this time ……More “Bargaining Chips for Our Enemies…..more excuses for radical demonstrations ??? Chaos within our own borders ??? Just more “Bumps In The Road” ???

    Report this comment

    Nanaswords  
  • dgboy
    Posted on October 6, 2012 at 4:08pm

    He’ll end up being given to Egypt along with the blind sheik sitting behind bars. Watch.

    Report this comment

    dgboy  
    • KURT1010
      Posted on October 6, 2012 at 4:39pm

      Why not GITMO ?

      Report this comment

      KURT1010  
    • Chromo200
      Posted on October 6, 2012 at 5:17pm

      I agree .. Obama will pardon him before he is thrown out of the WH and goes to his house in Hawaii where Michelle will have a garden growing weed.

      Report this comment

      Chromo200  
    • poorrichard09
      Posted on October 7, 2012 at 8:52am

      OR (God forbid) being released by 0bamao along with the blind shiek as the former prez exits the office.
      You know they are cooking up a deal with Egypt to release the blind one, don’t you?

      Report this comment

      poorrichard09  
  • universalphilos
    Posted on October 6, 2012 at 4:05pm

    A 9-11 prophecy?
    “Now we shall say unto you, we have given you a parable, a parable of truth…”
    In a parable of a gardner and of the people in the garden, spiritual messengers of God spoke prophetically, September 11, 1981. Was it a coincidence that this was spoken 20 years before 9/11?
    It was a parable for a small group, and also a parable for the world at this time.
    Here it is, another 20 years later. http://www.angelfire.com/in4/aup_messiah/1981September11.audio.html

    Report this comment

    universalphilos  
  • The-Monk
    Posted on October 6, 2012 at 3:36pm

    I sure hope they don’t forget to take him by the White House for a personal tour from Obama.

    (end sarcasm)

    Report this comment

    The-Monk  
  • OperationNorthwoods
    Posted on October 6, 2012 at 2:16pm

    I thought it would be too dangerous to try terrorists in New York. Guess not.

    Report this comment

    OperationNorthwoods  
    • michael48
      Posted on October 6, 2012 at 2:41pm

      Iman Oblamo, will give them a medal of freedom, letter of apology and a 7-11 store…the POS LUSH…buy this 10 year old twit a swing set and send him home…wherever the He!! that is….

      Report this comment

      michael48  
    • turkey13
      Posted on October 6, 2012 at 3:09pm

      They’v probably already got passes to the next White House meeting with front row seats. Holder has already told the Secret Service to turn their heads when they come to visit.

      Report this comment

      turkey13  
  • daniel3839
    Posted on October 6, 2012 at 2:06pm

    Why? Does the JIHAD SOCCER TEAM at Gitmo need more players?

    Report this comment

    daniel3839  
  • blackyb
    Posted on October 6, 2012 at 1:58pm

    They all need their heads chopped off.

    Report this comment

    blackyb  
  • skippy6
    Posted on October 6, 2012 at 1:57pm

    Send them to the range….

    Report this comment

    skippy6  
  • spysea
    Posted on October 6, 2012 at 1:57pm

    He suffers from depression, chronic sleep deprivation, diabetes and other ailments.and soon man rape….

    Report this comment

    spysea  
  • pma_guy
    Posted on October 6, 2012 at 1:39pm

    Americans are too damn civilized when dealing with vermin.

    Report this comment

    pma_guy  
  • statutoryape
    Posted on October 6, 2012 at 1:37pm

    Abu Hamza al-Masri, with hooks for hands and one eye, really bothers me. I wish they’d toss him out of the plane as they were flying over the Atlantic. I don’t believe people like him or the blind sheik deserve anything, not even a trial. I think they should be executed and not used for political gain.

    Here’s a question I’ve thought about recently: Do you think that we will see another large-scale Islamist terrorist attack within the Continental United States in the next 5 years?

    Report this comment

    statutoryape  
    • DIMITRIINPA
      Posted on October 6, 2012 at 3:04pm

      Depends, Statutory. If the current WH occuppier remains and continues to project weakness I feel relatively certain that something could very well go “boom” here at home. The only thing these people understand is strength and fear; they laugh at our efforts to ‘negotiate’. Slap them hard and decisively and there will be peace. Look at Reagan and Khadaffy(sp) and how well that worked.

      Report this comment

      DIMITRIINPA  
    • Gigi42
      Posted on October 6, 2012 at 7:07pm

      Yes. Attacks will not stop until we stop them. These folks are like the school-yard bully who isn’t giving up unless they are made to give up.

      Report this comment

      Gigi42  
  • supressorgrid
    Posted on October 6, 2012 at 1:23pm

    The blokes were more than happy to rid themselves of these vermin as they would have to spend money on their health care. Now they will receive the best of health care here in America.Why else did the limeys rid themselves of the Pan Am bomber other than he had ass cancer and they did not have the money to treat it.

    Report this comment

    supressorgrid  
  • Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
    Posted on October 6, 2012 at 1:19pm

    Five more bound for the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt along with the Blind Sheik.

    Report this comment

    Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}  
  • environmentalandawake
    Posted on October 6, 2012 at 1:15pm

    Patty H and Gaty K have it right. Obama is doing everything he can to be electable. What a joke! Expect the Blind Sheik to be released soon. Yes Glenn has it right also.

    Report this comment

    environmentalandawake  
    • Cemoto78
      Posted on October 6, 2012 at 1:21pm

      Looks like Obama got two more bargaining chips now. I wonder who he wants to appease with these two pos

      Report this comment

      Cemoto78  
    • statutoryape
      Posted on October 6, 2012 at 1:49pm

      These terrorists will most likely be released (Blind Sheik included) in the next couple of months. As soon as their Ottoman Empire has been more or less restored, I think the “United States of Islam” will start a large war, perhaps even a world war with Israel and the West. I think we should pull out of the middle east, support Israel, but prepare for a war that seems to be inevitable. As long as Islam is on this earth there will always be human rights violations, attacks on our first amendment, and attacks on any country that says something negative about Islam.

      Report this comment

      statutoryape  
    • MetalPatriot
      Posted on October 6, 2012 at 8:51pm

      Statuatory…

      my guts feel this way too. This morning, the spidey-senses started to tingle.

      Report this comment

      MetalPatriot  
  • PASSION
    Posted on October 6, 2012 at 1:12pm

    Speaking of a “watershed moment” let’s get those water-boarding rooms ready!

    Report this comment

    PASSION  
    • 2MINUTESTOMIDNIGHT
      Posted on October 6, 2012 at 1:47pm

      Please, have some compassion, PASSION. We certainly wouldn’t want to offend our terrorist brothers, would we? Wouldn’t it be better to sit down them, talk with them, try to understand their feelings and why they hate us? I believe we should give each them a hug, a check for $1 billion and a free plane ride back to Egypt so they can develop their democracy and lifestyle based on the loving principals of their peaceful religion.

      Report this comment

      2MINUTESTOMIDNIGHT  
  • Akridgerunner
    Posted on October 6, 2012 at 1:05pm

    What a joke this is. As if any justice will be served in our legal system. Not a chance. They’re likely just tired of British food. Maybe we should feed them pork for every meal!! If Obama gets re elected they’ll get cabinet positions.

    Report this comment

    Akridgerunner  
  • Gary_K
    Posted on October 6, 2012 at 12:58pm

    Are the trials set to start bfore the election.

    Report this comment

    Gary_K  
  • Palmer1943
    Posted on October 6, 2012 at 12:51pm

    Hmmm. Once they arrive in the US Under Obama/Holder does this mean these guys will now have American Citizenship? I assume we (tax Payers) will pay all of there legal costs and expenses.

    Report this comment

    Palmer1943  
    • The_Jerk
      Posted on October 6, 2012 at 12:57pm

      Hang’em High.

      Report this comment

      The_Jerk  
    • DADDYWOREAWHITEHAT
      Posted on October 6, 2012 at 1:05pm

      And medical bills. They are sick. Small wonder England finally decided to let them be extradited when they are more of a burden on taxpayers.

      Report this comment

      DADDYWOREAWHITEHAT  
    • rambosharley
      Posted on October 6, 2012 at 1:19pm

      What’s wrong with sending them to ‘club gitmo’! They’re on American soil now! I’m sure the ACLU, DOJ or Holder himself will give them the BEST defense possible! They should not be in our federal criminal system! Whose freakin bright idea was this? WTF

      Report this comment

      rambosharley  
    • blackyb
      Posted on October 6, 2012 at 10:23pm

      Obama wants every vote he can get and then some.

      Report this comment

      blackyb  
  • 2MINUTESTOMIDNIGHT
    Posted on October 6, 2012 at 12:44pm

    Someone should set up Imam Abu Hamza al-Masri (the guy in the picture) with the “email bride”. I’m sure they would be very happy together.

    Report this comment

    2MINUTESTOMIDNIGHT  
    • PATTY HENRY
      Posted on October 6, 2012 at 12:54pm

      EXTRADITED TO USA? To be placed where? In Obama’s “prison” in Illinois? WHERE? next to the largest population of Muslims in the USA? To stand trial? Where? MAN, I hate this!!!
      ONLY if they go to GITMO will I relax on this, but otherwise, look at OBAMA gathering in his Terrorists Leaders….now ask yourself why? and Listen to your brain!!!!

      Report this comment

      PATTY HENRY  
    • MEANS2RESIST
      Posted on October 6, 2012 at 12:57pm

      So the taxpayers have to pay for this crap? Put em all on a plane, tell them there going back home and then blow the plane over the ocean. Its quite simple!

      Report this comment

      MEANS2RESIST  
    • 2MINUTESTOMIDNIGHT
      Posted on October 6, 2012 at 1:58pm

      Means: You have not convinced me that blowing up over the ocean would be worse than a lifetime with the email bride. These diaper headed douche bags are happy to die, what they need is some discouragement from continuing their evil acts. Lets set them up with some mean spirited women who can put them in their place. If that doesn’t work – I’m fine with an airplane “malfunction”.

      Report this comment

      2MINUTESTOMIDNIGHT  
    • MEANS2RESIST
      Posted on October 6, 2012 at 3:18pm

      You make a very valid point there 2MINUTES

      Report this comment

      MEANS2RESIST  
    • blackyb
      Posted on October 6, 2012 at 10:25pm

      Hide Big Bubba in a burka.

      Report this comment

      blackyb  
  • neverending
    Posted on October 6, 2012 at 12:42pm

    No worries we can count on commie holder and obama to set them free.

    Report this comment

    neverending  
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