NEW YORK: Radical imam Abu Hamza Al Masri was sentenced to life in prison yesterday, eight months after he was convicted of federal terrorism charges in New York.
US District Judge Katherine Forrest in Manhattan imposed the sentence on the one-eyed, handless Abu Hamza, whom jurors had found guilty of providing a satellite phone and advice to Yemeni militants who kidnapped Western tourists in 1998, leading to the deaths of four hostages.
The defendant was also convicted of sending two followers to Oregon to establish a militant training camp, and dispatching an associate to Afghanistan to aid Al Qaeda and the Taliban against the United States.
“Abu Hamza was not convicted for his words,” federal prosecutor Edward Kim told Forrest prior to the sentencing. “His crimes truly spanned the globe, from Yemen to Afghanistan to the United States.”
Abu Hamza, 56, had gained notoriety for his incendiary sermons at the Finsbury Park Mosque in London, which US and UK authorities said helped inspire a generation of militants, including the would-be shoe bomber Richard Reid. “I still maintain my innocence,” Abu Hamza told the judge prior to being sentenced.
He asked that corrections officials arrange to properly treat his disabilities, and that any prison time not constitute “a backdoor for torture.”
Defense lawyers had urged that Abu Hamza be sentenced to a term shorter than life in prison.
They also said any sentence should take into account their client’s need as a double amputee for specialized medical care, pressing for Abu Hamza to be sent to a medical facility instead of a maximum security prison.
One held in fresh counter-terror raids in Australia
Sydney: Australian police conducted fresh counter-terrorism raids in Sydney yesterday, officials said, as part of an ongoing investigation into citizens providing support to foreign fighters overseas.
A 33-year-old man was arrested and charged with acquiring and possessing ammunition illegally in the raids, which were carried out at four properties in southwest Sydney, New South Wales police said.
He was refused bail and ordered to appear in a Sydney court Saturday. The warrants were “part of a long-running investigation and not as a result of any specific terrorism threat,” police added in a statement.
The raids were unconnected to the 16-hour standoff at a Sydney cafe in mid-December that left the lone gunman, self-styled Islamic cleric Man Haron Monis, and two hostages dead, an Australian Federal Police spokeswoman said.
The investigation, which has been running for more than a year, is looking into alleged financial and other support for foreign fighters involved in conflicts such as those in Syria and Iraq.
Agencies
