Forum Topic

Abu Hamza can be extradited

At long last, this preacher who hates us so much, has cost the tax payer, untold sums, can now be booted out.  If he hates us so much, why does he want to stay here?Radical Islamist preacher Abu Hamza and four other men on Friday failed in bids to block their extradition from Britain to the United States to face terrorism charges, as the High Court rejected their requests.Judge John Thomas said: "The applications by all five claimants must be dismissed. It follows that their extradition to the United States of America may proceed immediately."Neither the Egyptian-born cleric nor fellow suspects Khaled Al-Fawwaz, Syed Tahla Ahsan, Adel Abdul Bary and Babar Ahmad were in court for the ruling judgment as they are all in high-security jails.

Nicola Howard ● 5094d32 Comments

He can sling his hook, then. Finally.

Peter Millman ● 5094d

Just hope he's not playing hookey, when he's put on the plane.

Nicola Howard ● 5094d

Just hope there is no further delay! Enough already!Why can't this country be like Australia - they send all the undesirables out of the country immediately!

Jean F Fernandez ● 5094d

Latest....Hamza and friends are no longer on British Soil according to Sky News!

Jean F Fernandez ● 5093d

Five down, one to go.

Nicola Howard ● 5093d

I think his case comes up on the 10th.

Sara Nathan ● 5093d

I take it you mean Qatada.  Hearing on Wednesday, Jordan Thursday?

Nicola Howard ● 5092d

This guy (Abu Hamza) cut such a brazen, almost hatreable figure, posing with his hook. Glad to be rid of him finally. It's shocking that he was allowed to stay for so long, but better late than never. I suspect the Americans will be much less accommodating of him, apparently the first thing they'll do is put him in 23 hours a day solitary confinement.

Manish Madan ● 5092d

I understand part of the terms of his extradition is that the death penalty will not be applied if he is found guilty.I should imagine he may regret that as the rest of his life in an American prison will not exactly be a bag of laughs.I wonder what welfare  benefits his family would get over there if his brood were living there? Not enough to buy a house outright as they did here I believe.

Keith Iddon ● 5092d

I don't see how anyone on benefits could buy a house outright.

Susan Kelly ● 5092d

I think you are being a little naive there Susan, noi...your observation presupposes all claimants tell the truth about assets etc.People like Hamza are effectively unemployable in this society and have to have an income. His wife doesn't or can't work and they bought a house in Greenford.This is public knowledge and the house was re-possesssed to pay part of his legal aid.There are many cases of benefit fraud and people owning property who are supposedly skint.Many local authorities are examimning their housing stock to see who is sub-letting (another form of fraud)and before you savage me about tax avoiders,there's loads of them too.

Keith Iddon ● 5092d

But your posting implies, Keith, that they bought a house outright with their benefits and I don't see how that would ever be possible. People claiming benefits while having some dosh tucked away that should make them ineligible ... yeah, that I can well believe.

Susan Kelly ● 5092d

He bought a house flat in Hammersmith in 1999 using the right to buy scheme then bought the house for cash a few years later after having sold it.All the while,of course,he and his family were on benefits.Whichever way you look at it he used money obtained from the public purse to buy property.If you sell a flat and have £220,000 as a result,society might reasonably expect yopur benefits to stop.It might not expect you to buy a bigger property which you rent out to tenants for more than £ 1000 pm.

Keith Iddon ● 5092d

If you are intersted,google hamza greenford house and that will tell you all about it.I would imagine that benefit fraud of this or similar type is not unusual as people who have workjed the system for years pass on their knowledge to others.We need to get a handle on it and stop dithering.

Keith Iddon ● 5092d

If his brood move to the States, suggest they deal with Freddie Mac or Fanney Mae, they may be able to get a garden shed, approx 7'x9' en suite.  Will his family stay in this country and continue to sponge off the tax payer for the rest of their lives?  If a terrorist or undesirable is extradited/removed from this country, should their family be deported as well, on the grounds of complicity and/or aiding a criminal?

Nicola Howard ● 5092d

KeithWe need to get a handle on it and stop dithering.Thought the government had.  It's called granny tax, target pensioners and the disabled.  Sorry no hook.  Can't remember where I saw it, but it was one of the broadsheets, that Hamza has cost this country somewhere in the region of £40m.  The government need to get a handle on that.  Loath her or love her, at least Thatcher had a pair.  Pity she beat up British industry and destroyed communities.

Nicola Howard ● 5092d

Re  should their family be deported as well          xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx am I not correct in saying at least two of his sons are currently under arrest for robberies or am I confusing Hookey with another prominent man of " peace ". If they  were living in conditions they espouse for all, their hands would be cut off. I wonder what they would say if we attempted to do that. I have also read  the suggestion his family be allowed to stay here ( on bens of course ) and we pay for them to visit Hookey at least 4 times a year.

Tony Price ● 5092d

Not sure if they have been tried and convicted.If his family want to stay here on benefits, they should be made to earn them, sweep the streets in bright orange jump suits, or clean up excrement and sick in care homes.  If they want to visit hookey four times a year, let them pay out of their own pockets, but, the U.S. has laws regarding criminals entering the country.  Crim record, no entry.

Nicola Howard ● 5092d

Re  Not sure if they have been tried                xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx      oh I don't think so, only recently been arrested as far as I am aware but  they are Hookey's sons then ?. Good father, brings his  children up well, good law-abiding citizens. And he such a paragon of faith and virtue to the extent he preaches to others and is held in high regard and esteem by them. All in all, not a bad bunch, do hope they stay and enrich our lives!.

Tony Price ● 5092d

They house in Greenford was sold to pay towards legal costs, now the remainder of hookey brood live in a £1m five bed council accommodation in Shepherds Bush.  The council have asked hookeys wife to downsize, as it is believed that all the brood, bar two are no longer living there (probably in clink.)  The council cannot force the wife to downsize, but will be subject to review every two years.  More tax payers money being wasted.  The home could go to some family who desperately need five bedrooms.

Nicola Howard ● 5091d

Re  council cannot force the wife to downsize            xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx  surely there is a limit they need to pay  for a house now, and I would imagine their current house must exceed that limit.

Tony Price ● 5091d

The new housing benefit cap is a max of £460 a week for a 4+ bed house. The Hamza house would cost way more than that. The charming Afghan family that lived next door to me were recently re-housed in Harrow because Ealing would no longer cover the £900 a week rent, and the husband couldn't find enough work to make up the difference.

Peter Millman ● 5090d

Re  Ealing would no longer cover the £900 a week rent,          xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx must be a different family Peter, the one I was referring to was a lone  mother with 7 kids all of whom  demanded their own bedroom, found such a house for which the rent was £12400 pcm, ( yep, that's right! ) and which apparently belonged to her  Pakistani uncle. The husband was not around.

Tony Price ● 5090d

Apparently they are putting on Peter Pan this year.

Keith Iddon ● 5090d

Would that be terrorists fleeing of flying?

Nicola Howard ● 5090d

??Nicola,There is a role in that panto for Hamza that he could play without make up.

Keith Iddon ● 5090d

I did get it, but wanted to avoid the pun.  Would Qatada play Wendy?  That being that they are both a couple of darlings.

Nicola Howard ● 5090d

If you say so.

Keith Iddon ● 5090d

May as well go the whole hog!

Nicola Howard ● 5090d

Mostafa, 53, Hamza's second wife, has spent 17 years in the house bringing up eight children, though it is believed she now lives with just two of her daughters in the property.Hammersmith and Fulham council has asked Mostafa to 'downsize' from the five bedroom house and make room for one of the families on their 10,000 strong waiting list, but she has refused.The council has no authority to evict her as her tenancy has no time limit, despite the backing of a local MP.Mostafa would benefit from a maximum discount of £75,000 off any future purchase under the Right-to-Buy scheme passed into law by Margaret Thatcher in the Housing Act of 1980, which was designed to encourage private ownership of property by council tenants.A spokesman for Hammersmith and Fulham Council told the Daily Mail newspaper: "We believe this home is too big for the number of family members who currently live there and, with over 10,000 people languishing on the borough’s housing waiting list, she should move to a more appropriate property."

Nicola Howard ● 5087d

Re  The council has no authority to evict her as her tenancy has no time limit,            xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx      surely some means can be found to " move on " a person whose rent is being paid for out of the public purse, for any reason, in this case she that no longer needs a house of that size. There must be a " law " that enables her to be removed or taken to it's logical conclusion, she could end up there on her own  and still occupy the place, at our expense. Just also goes to show how moral these deeply religious persons are!. Say something about the Prophet and all hell is let lose but steal and  continuously, that's alright. Very strange morals.

Tony Price ● 5087d

I thought New Labour capped the amount available for discount at £38k.

Keith Iddon ● 5087d