Abu Hamza looks like the Islamic Terrorist from Central Casting and he's perfect War on Terror propaganda.

His critics will say he's a shameless publicity seeker rather than a criminal mastermind.

But even so, the former Soho nightclub bouncer turned Islamist firebrand clearly has a case to answer and so plans to extradite him to the United States to faces terrorism charges are completely understandable and a long time coming.

Hamza claimed 9/11 was a Jewish plot. In February he said the space shuttle Columbia was destroyed by God because it was carrying an Israeli Jew, American Christians and an Indian-born Hindu.

He's been accused of recruiting jihadis and his Finsbury Park Mosque has been linked to a number of people connected to al-Qaeda – including shoe bomber Richard Reid and Zacarias Moussaoui – the so-called "20th hijacker."

Abu Hamza has been linked to the Islamic Army of Aden - the organization that claimed responsibility for the bombing of the USS Cole in Yemen in 2000. The prosecution in the Yemeni court trying 8 British nationals, allegedly connected to the IAA, for planning attacks against Western targets said that Abu Hamza had masterminded the operation. The British men were arrested in December 1998 and in response the IAA took 16 tourists hostage, calling for the release of the men. A botched rescue operation resulted in the death of four of the hostages. Abu Hamza has admitted that IAA leader Abu Hassan phoned him during the hostage crisis. (Source: Background from BBC Research -- not available online.)

Hamza is, of course, innocent until proven guilty. Unlike other terrorist suspects he will have a chance to put his case in court.

If he's cleared, it'll be a massive publicity coup for him. If he's convicted he faces the death penalty or life in prison (although before anyone carps about the British authorities sending him off to his death, bear in mind that British extradition procedures make clear that the Home Secretary must not order extradition in a case where the offence is punishable by death unless he receives written assurances that such a sentence would not be carried out.)