|
 U.S. District Judge Katherine Forrest in Manhattan imposed the
sentence on the one-eyed, handless Abu Hamza, whom jurors found
guilty last May of providing a satellite phone and advice to the
kidnappers.
Abu Hamza was also convicted of sending two followers to Oregon to
establish a militant training camp, and dispatching an associate to
Afghanistan to aid al Qaeda and the Taliban.
"You have not expressed sympathy or remorse," Forrest told Abu
Hamza, adding that only a life sentence would ensure he could never
again incite violence against innocent people.
Prior to being sentenced, Abu Hamza had told the judge: "I still
maintain my innocence."
Abu Hamza, 56, had gained notoriety for his incendiary sermons at
the Finsbury Park Mosque in London, which U.S. and U.K. authorities
said helped inspire a generation of militants, including the
would-be shoe bomber Richard Reid.
British tabloids dub him "Hook," for the prosthetic metal hooks he
uses in place of his missing hands.
Defense lawyers asked Forrest to order that Abu Hamza be housed in a
medical facility, rather than a "supermax" prison where his
disabilities might not be treated properly.
Forrest said she would let prison officials decide where Abu Hamza
should be sent.
Abu Hamza, whose real name is Mustafa Kamel Mustafa, testified in
his defense at trial. He denied he sent anyone to Oregon or
Afghanistan, and claimed he acted as an intermediary during the
Yemen kidnapping in search of a peaceful resolution.
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He also talked of how he had lost his hands during an accidental
explosion in Pakistan while working as an engineer, contradicting
reports that he had lost his limbs while fighting the Soviets in
Afghanistan in the 1980s.
His fiery speeches were used against him at his trial, and also at
his sentencing, where Forrest cited instances in which he justified
killing non-Muslims and praised the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that
killed nearly 3,000 people in the United States.
"Abu Hamza's blood-soaked journey from cleric to convict, from imam
to inmate, is now complete," Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara
said in a statement.
Prior to his 2012 extradition, Abu Hamza had spent eight years in
prison in Britain for inciting violence.
(Reporting by Joseph Ax; Editing by David Ingram, Dan Grebler and
Bernadette Baum)
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