Muslim Cleric Al-Masri Convicted of 11 U.K. Charges

bloomberg: Muslim cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri was today convicted of 11 of 15 criminal charges against him, including encouraging his audiences to murder Jews and other non- Muslims, inciting racial hatred and possessing a document likely to be useful to terrorists.

Al-Masri, 47, a former preacher at the Finsbury Park mosque in north London, was found guilty of the charges after a three- week trial at the city's Central Criminal Court, known as the Old Bailey. Prosecutors claimed he was a "recruiting officer for terrorism and murder'' and used his sermons to ignite a "tinderbox'' of angry young Muslims. He faces life in prison in the U.K.

The Egyptian-born cleric, who denied the charges against him, was acquitted of four counts -- one on inciting racial hatred and three of the soliciting murder charges -- by a jury of seven men and five women. The jury returned the unanimous verdicts after 2 1/2 days of deliberation.

Al-Masri, who lost both hands and one eye in Afghanistan, is also wanted by prosecutors in the U.S. for allegedly supporting Osama Bin Laden's al Qaeda terrorist organization and trying to establish a "jihad training camp'' in Bly, Oregon. Read more