UK Arrests Radical Cleric for U.S. Extradition

By Paul Majendie

LONDON (Reuters) - British police arrested radical Muslim cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri on Thursday in a pre-dawn raid prompted by an extradition warrant from the United States.


The American request for the cleric, who has urged Holy War and openly admires Osama bin Laden (news - web sites), came as British state prosecutors were also considering an order for his arrest.


Yemen, too, has been asking for the preacher's extradition for the last three years.


His lawyer Muddassar Arani said Abu Hamza was "quite calm" in custody at a London police station but she did not know whether Washington planned to press terror charges.

~snip~
more:http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=586&ncid=586&e=6&u=/nm/20040527/wl_nm/security_britain_arrest_dc

EU law says you can't extradite to countries where the extraditee (is that a word?) faces torture or the death penalty.

So Yemen has no chance of getting anyone from the UK.

Likewise, the US would have to give assurances that anyone handed over wouldn't face the death penalty.

Personally I think Hamza should be tried here for the variety of incitement offences he's committed. Not to mention the alledged benefit fraud he's committed.

ought to raise eyebrows, as Mr. Shadjareh alluded to.

But...., if this guy's really wanted for conspiracy in the attack on the Cole, and the feds can back it up, he might end up getting a trial.

Beeb and AP coverage:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/3752257.stm

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4137774,00.html


btw, "etraditee" seems to be acceptable legalese.

notions of due process, liberty, freedom and basic civilization. Perhaps we should all sing "God Bless the EU."

no matter what their denomination may be...such as Falsewell; Robertson; the Opus Dei priests and bishops infesting the Catholic Church with their fascist propaganda; Franklin Graham; etc., and so on, and so forth.....

They've been threatening to arrest Hamza for years. The only problem was a little legal technicality called "freedom of speech."