An Egyptian Islamic preacher whose fiery sermons before and after 9/11 attracted extremists to his London mosque was convicted on Monday in a trial that a prosecutor said should provide justice for the victims of a kidnapping in Yemen more than a decade ago.
The cleric, Mustafa Kamel Mustafa alias Abu Hamza, 55, was found guilty in federal court in Manhattan. Attorney General Eric Holder championed that verdict as a triumph for civil courts.
Mustafa was accused of providing material support to terrorist organisations by enabling hostage takers in the Yemen kidnapping to speak on a satellite phone, by sending men to establish an al-Qaeda training camp in Bly, Oregon, and by sending at least one man to training camps in Afghanistan.
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Mustafa looked straight ahead as the verdict was read.
Defence attorney Joshua Dratel said the verdict was “not about the evidence but about a visceral reaction to the defendant”.
“It’s unfortunate that’s what happened and it’s what we feared,” he added.
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