Muslim cleric sentenced for soliciting murder, inciting racial hatred

The Muslim cleric Abu Hamza was yesterday sentenced to seven years in prison after he was found guilty at the Old Bailey of soliciting murder and inciting racial hatred during sermons delivered to his followers.

A jury delivered unanimous guilty verdicts on 11 of the 15 charges against the 47-year-old preacher who controlled the high-profile Finsbury Park mosque in north London - described by police last night as a "honey pot" for extremists where terrorist paraphernalia was found.

Mr Justice Hughes, the trial judge, said it was not known whether anyone who had listened to the cleric's words justifying suicide bombings, demonising Jews and vilifying Western democracies had acted upon them.

But the judge said Hamza had helped to create an atmosphere in which killing was considered by some as a "moral and religious duty".

Contrasting the right to free speech with the cleric's criminal behaviour, Mr Justice Hughes said: "You are entitled to your views and in this country you are entitled to express them - up to the point where you incite murder or incite racial hatred.

"That, however, is what you did. You used your authority to legitimise anger and to encourage your audiences to believe that it gave rise to a duty to murder... The potential for both direct and indirect damage of what you said is simply incalculable."

Unknown to the jurors who convicted him, the Egyptian-born orator now faces extradition to the United States once he has served his sentence in Britain to face a string of terrorism-related charges.

He is accused of attempting to set up a terrorist training camp in Oregon, participating in a plot to kidnap Western tourists in Yemen in 1998 and funding recruits to attend al Qaeda camps in Afghanistan.

If convicted, Hamza faces 100 years in an American jail.

The cleric, whose publicly-expressed extremist views made him a favourite media target in recent years, was convicted on four out of nine charges of soliciting murder and two of four counts of inciting racial hatred during taped sermons given around Britain between 1998 and 2000.

In the speeches, Hamza described Britain as a "toilet" and called for his followers to train to "bleed the enemy".

He said the murder of "unbelievers" was justified by Islam.

The cleric was also convicted of one count of possessing an item of potential use in an act of terrorism - a ten-volume Encyclopedia of Afghani Terrorism, detailing how to conduct guerrilla warfare, found at his home.

Lawyers for Hamza, who denies the American claims, said last night that he will appeal against his conviction.

Speaking outside the court, his solicitor, Muddassar Arani, said: "Sheikh Abu Hamza considers himself to be a prisoner of faith and he has been subjected to a slow martyrdom.

"He considers that we will appeal against the conviction. The verdicts have not been without hope - despite a massive media campaign against Abu Hamza, on certain counts he has been acquitted."

The conviction was welcomed by police and politicians as it was revealed that potential terrorist paraphernalia, including forged or stolen passports and paramilitary equipment, was found during a raid to close down the Finsbury Park mosque in 2003.

Officers believe the equipment was used in training camps in Britain but have declined to say where and when such training was provided.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Peter Clarke, head of the Yard's Anti-Terrorist Branch, said: "[The mosque] was almost like a honey pot for extremists. It had a reputation not just across the country but Europe and beyond as a place where extremists could gather and feel comfortable."

During his trial Hamza insisted his sermons had been tacitly approved by the security services.

He said that during nine meetings with MI5 and Special Branch officers between 1997 and 2000 he was never told to tone down his rhetoric.

The Independent has learned from counter-terrorist sources that Hamza was linked to a number of known al Qaeda figures in Britain who attended meetings at the mosque and a youth club in Baker Street, central London.

It is understood that Hamza attended the Four Feathers Youth Club with Abu Qatada, a political refugee and al Qaeda suspect convicted of terrorist acts in Jordan who is currently being held in Belmarsh high-security prison.

Both Gordon Brown, the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the prime minister's office used the conviction of Hamza to reiterate a belief in the need for new laws creating an offence of "glorification" of terrorism.

The Chancellor told the BBC: "This sentence shows there will be no toleration for preachers of hate, who call for murder and abuse their citizenship of Britain"

"It shows why we need laws against the glorifying of terrorism and why we need to stop extremist Muslim clerics trying to enter the country."

- INDEPENDENT