Trial date set for Hamza

2005-07-14 20:48

London - The trial of a controversial Islamic preacher, Abu Hamza al-Masri, for soliciting the murder of non-Muslims and other alleged crimes will take place early next year, ruled a judge on Thursday in London.

Hamza, 47, the former imam of Finsbury Park mosque in north London, was not at the Old Bailey criminal court, where it was decided that he would be remanded in custody to face trial on January 9 2006.

He faced nine charges under the Offences Against the Person Act of 1861 alleging that he solicited others at public meetings to murder non-believers, including Jews.

Egyptian-born Hamza also faced four charges under the Public Order Act 1986 of "using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour with the intention of stirring up racial hatred".

Racial hartred

A further charge alleged Hamza - held at Belmarsh prison in southeast London since May 2004 - was in possession of video and audio recordings, which he intended to distribute to stir up racial hatred.

The final charge, under section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000, accused him of being in possession of a document, "The Encyclopaedia of the Afghani Jihad," which contained information "of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism".

Hamza, who was hook-handed and blind in one eye, was also wanted in the United States on terrorism related charges, but he could not be extradited before criminal proceedings in Britain were completed.

- AFP