Britain to extradite Islamist cleric Hamza to US: ministry

0 Comments | AFP, February, 2008

LONDON (AFP) — Britain intends to extradite jailed Islamist cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri to the United States to face terror charges, the Home Office said Thursday.

The interior ministry made the announcement after Home Secretary Jacqui Smith signed an extradition order.

Hamza's lawyer, Muddassar Arani, said an appeal would be filed because "there are some very serious issues that need to be considered."

If Hamza's initial appeal is unsuccessful, he could file further appeals with the House of Lords, Britain's highest court of law and, were it denied there, finally to the European Court of Justice or European Court of Human Rights, depending on the section of law he decided to contest.

A Home Office spokeswoman told AFP that the process could take...