London
The U.S. this week filed for the extradition of the radical Muslim cleric and suspected terrorist Abu Hamza al-Masri. Al-Masri, who lost an eye and a hand fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan, is accused of trying to set up a terror training camp in Oregon, of funding other training camps, and of masterminding a hostage taking in Yemen. The Egyptian-born cleric was head of Britain’s notorious Finsbury Park mosque, where shoe bomber Richard Reid and Zacarias Moussaoui, the so-called 20th hijacker, listened to his exhortations to kill infidels. “The evidence gathered by the FBI,” U.S. government lawyer James Lewis told a British court, “shows that Abu Hamza was a member of a conspiracy to wage global jihad.” Al-Masri’s defense lawyers are fighting his extradition, arguing that he would not get a fair trial in the U.S. and that some of the evidence against him may have been obtained from tortured witnesses.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
July 5 editorial cartoonsCartoons Saturday’s political cartoons include an extrajudicial detainment camp, 'alligator Alcatraz', and tax cuts for billionaires.
-
5 explosively funny cartoons about the 4th of JulyCartoons Artists take on liberty and justice for all, a terrifying firework, and more
-
Jeff in Venice: a "triumph of tackiness"?In the Spotlight Locals protest as Bezos uses the city as a 'private amusement park' for his wedding celebrations
