Radical preacher Abu Hamza al-Masri and two other terrorism suspects have appeared in a New York court, hours after being extradited from Britain.
The men fought for years to avoid facing charges in the United States. Al-Masri has hooks in place of hands, but he came into court without prosthetics and complained through his lawyer that he wants them given back. The brief hearing ended Saturday without him entering a plea.
The others, Khaled al-Fawwaz and Adel Abdul Bary pleaded not guilty. They are jailed until trial. Lawyers for both al-Fawwaz and Bary note the ailments of their clients and say they’re concerned that they get their medication. The lawyers did not seek bail for their clients though Bary’s attorney reserved the right to do so in the future. Their attorneys declined to comment after the arraignment. If convicted, the men could face life sentences. They are accused of running websites to recruit for the al-Qaida network, Afghanistan’s ousted Taliban regime and Chechen rebels. They will be tried in Connecticut, where an Internet service provider was allegedly used to run the websites. The men arrived in the U.S. early Saturday after yearslong extradition fights in England. Three other suspects are to be arraigned today in New York. The other suspects include ailing, extremist Egyptian-born preacher and two other terrorism suspects.
The men arrived in the United States under tight security to face trial after losing their lengthy extradition fight in England, authorities said. The preacher, Abu Hamza al-Masri, was taken to a federal lockup next to the federal courthouse in lower Manhattan to face charges that he conspired with Seattle men to set up a terrorist training camp in Oregon and that he helped abduct 16 hostages, two of them American tourists, in Yemen in 1998.
