UK police question hook-handed Hamza

Hook-handed cleric Abu Hamza faces yet more questions today after British police were given more time to hold him on suspicion of being involved in terrorist offences.

The Muslim cleric was arrested at Belmarsh prison on Thursday under the UK's Terrorism Act 2000 on suspicion of involvement in the “commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism”.

Bow Street magistrates yesterday granted a warrant for further detention until September 2.

Hamza, aged 47, was being questioned at Paddington Green police station in London.

Detectives are understood to be probing a range of allegations relating to the provision of support for terrorism, rather than involvement in any specific plot.

They are also looking at whether controversial sermons by the former imam of the Finsbury Park mosque in north London encouraged others to commit terrorist acts.

Hamza was arrested at high-security Belmarsh Prison, where he has been since his arrest in May on separate allegations brought by the United States government which wants to extradite him to face trial there.

He denies the 11 charges brought in the US and is fighting extradition to America.

Police in London said that their investigations were unrelated to the terrorism charges brought by the US government.

Hamza, who emigrated to Britain from Egypt as a civil engineering student, has a missing eye and an artificial hooked hand. He says he received the injuries while clearing landmines in Afghanistan.