Convicted Terrorist Abu Hamza Sentenced To Life In Prison Just Blocks From Ground Zero! Its about time! A radical Muslim terrorist, Abu Hamza al-Masri, was sentenced to life in prison by a federal judge in lower Manhattan Friday. The site of the sentencing was only blocks from where the Twin Towers once stood. The cleric, born Mustafa Kamel Mustafa, was convicted by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) on 11 counts in May. Charges included participation in a hostage-taking in Yemen in 1998 resulting in four deaths, conspiracy to establish a terrorist training camp in Oregon, and sending one of his followers to train and fight with al-Qaeda in Afghanistan in 2000, according to a statement released by the DOJ. “Abu Hamza is an unrepentant all-purpose terrorist,” said Assistant Attorney General John Carlin. “With today’s sentence, he is being held accountable for the many ways in which he supported terrorism and other terrorists through much of his life, including his role in a hostage-taking in Yemen, his plot to create a terrorist training camp on U.S. soil, and his facilitation of violent jihad in Afghanistan. “This case was charged over ten years ago and was tried after years of extradition proceedings—and is but one example of our resolve to pursue those who threaten the United States and our interests anywhere in the world, no matter how long it takes. I applaud the many prosecutors, agents, and analysts who have devoted years of hard work to the pursuit of justice in this case.” Laurence Whitehouse, one of the four people whom Abu Hamza was involved in kidnapping, criticized the “length of time taken” to convict his attacker. “There has been a gross injustice in the length of time taken in bringing these matters to a conclusion,” Whitehouse said. Whitehouse’s wife, Margaret, was also kidnapped, but did not survive. A total of three British and one Australian died in the incident. In 2006, Abu Hamza was jailed in the United Kingdom for soliciting murder and inciting racial hatred, Sky News reported. He was extradited to the United States in 2012. BBC News pointed out that Hon. Judge Katherine Forrest of the Southern District of New York called Abu Hamza’s actions “barbaric” and “misguided.” Forrest said she gave the convicted terrorist a life sentence because she was not able to think of a time when it would be safe for him to be released. Attorneys for Abu Hamza asked that their client not be imprisoned in Colorado’s Supermax prison, but instead be placed in a prison medical center. Abu Hamza suffers from psoriasis, diabetes, high blood pressure, sees out of only one eye, and has had both hands amputated. He said he lost his hands while working as a contractor for the Pakistani military, according to Sky News. Forrest said she would leave the determination of his imprisonment up to federal prison officials, BBC News noted. Read more at westernjournalism/convicted-terrorist-abu-hamza-sentenced-life-prison-just-blocks-ground-zero/#z5dhko8fJfl8IGDj.99 westernjournalism/convicted-terrorist-abu-hamza-sentenced-life-prison-just-blocks-ground-zero/#oFBRYKBy6tK2kbkI.97
Posted on: Sat, 10 Jan 2015 03:36:29 +0000
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