Hamza to appeal seven-year sentence

Radical Islamic cleric Abu Hamza is to appeal his seven-year jail sentence given to him at the UK's Old Bailey after he was convicted of a string of race hate and terror charges.

Sentencing him, Mr Justice Hughes said he had “helped to create an atmosphere in which to kill has become regarded by some as not only a legitimate course but a moral and religious duty in pursuit of perceived justice”.

The judge said: “No one can now say what damage your words may have caused. No one can say whether you audience, present or wider, acted on your words.”

But he added that his views had caused “real danger to the lives of innocent people in different parts of the world”.

Hamza's counsel Mr Fitzgerald said there would be an appeal.

After she had seen him in cells, his solicitor Muddassar Arani said Hamza felt he was “a prisoner of faith and this is a slow martyrdom for him”.

Hamza, 47, described by security sources as a key figure in the global Islamic terror movement, was convicted of 11 out of 15 charges by the Old Bailey jury on the fourth day of its deliberations.

What the jurors were not told was that the former Imam at the controversial Finsbury Park Mosque in north London is also wanted in the US where is accused of terror charges.

They were also unaware that when police raided the mosque in January 2003, they found an array of terrorist paraphernalia, including nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) protective suits, blank firing weapons, a stun gun and a CS canister.

Detectives suspect the material had been used in terror training camps in the UK.

The judge told Hamza: ``I do not make the mistake that you represent Islamic thinking generally.''

He continued: “You are entitled to your views and in this country you are entitled to express them, but only up to the point where you incite murder or use language calculated to incite racial hatred. That is what you did.”

He told Hamza that he had used his authority “to legitimise anger”.

Hamza was convicted today of inciting his followers to murder non-Muslims and Jews.

He was also convicted of stirring up racial hatred and possessing a terror “manual”, the Encyclopaedia Of The Afghani Jihad.

The handless cleric showed no reaction to the verdicts, staring straight ahead as the guilty verdicts were read out.

He showed no emotion afterwards but leant forward to speak to his counsel Edward Fitzgerald.

Hamza then consulted with his solicitor before being led to the cells.

Hamza was convicted unanimously of six out of the nine soliciting to murder charges he faced by the seven men and five women jury on the fourth day of their deliberations.

He was also convicted of three charges under the Public Order Act 1986 of “using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour with the intention of stirring up racial hatred”.

The cleric was further convicted of a charge of possession of video and audio recordings which he intended to distribute to stir up racial hatred.

He was also convicted on the last of the 15 charges he faced, under section 58 of the Terrorism Act, of possession of a document, the encyclopaedia, which contained information “of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism”.

The manual featured a dedication to al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and a list of potential targets, including Big Ben and the Eiffel Tower.

He was acquitted of the other three soliciting to murder charges and of one charge of stirring up racial hatred.

He denied all the charges.

Hamza was sentenced to seven years for the counts of soliciting to murder, 21 months for each of the charges of stirring up racial hatred, three years for possession of threatening, abusive or insulting recordings and three-and-a-half years for possession of a document likely to be useful to a terrorist.

All the sentences are to run concurrently.