Hamza In The Dock

Today Abu Hamza will make the trip from Belmarsh prison, where's he's been held since May 2004, to the Old Bailey where he'll face charges relating to the incitement of murder and hatred as well as as one under the Terrorism Act (but none of impersonating a pirate).

The former imam of Finsbury Park mosque is due to attend the first day of his trial today to face a total of 16 charges which break down like this:

10 charges of soliciting murder under section four of the Offences Against the Person Act (1861). All ten include soliciting others to murder 'non-believers' at public meetings and many of them specifically include the encouragement "to murder Jews".

Four charges under the Public Order Act 1986, i.e. "using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behavior with the intention of stirring up racial hatred." (and while we understand how hard it must be for all those radical extremists out there who have to try and stir up racial hatred without using insulting or abusive words, we're going to have to come down on the side of the law on this one.)

A charge which claims Hamza was in possession of eight videos and audio recordings, which he intended to distribute to stir up racial hatred.

Eight eh? That's some global network you've got going on there Abu.

And the biggy: a charge under section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000 relating to the alleged possession of a document which contains information "of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism."

We're guessing this last one must be a 'To Do' list with items like Buy bomb stuff, and Sharpen hook on it.

Hamza is also wanted in the United States, but extradition has been delayed until the offences here have all been dealt with. Only then can we ship him off for Bush to hold him up as model of pure evil and therefore make him feel more important and powerful then he actually is.