Benefits for Abu Hamza's family must be reviewed, says MP
Priti Patel MP said it was "deeply offensive" to hardworking taxpayers that families such as Hamza's were able to "live off the State at enormous cost".
Abu Hamza gestures while addressing devotees at the
Muslim cleric, Abu Hamza al-Masri, was on trial in New York on terror charges Photo: REUTERS
David Barrett By David Barrett, Home Affairs Correspondent11:31AM BST 21 May 2014
A Conservative MP has called for a major review of criminals' access to the benefits system in the wake of Abu Hamza's conviction for terror offences by a New York jury.
Priti Patel MP said it was "deeply offensive" to hardworking taxpayers that families such as Hamza's were able to "live off the State at enormous cost".
Despite Hamza's conviction on 11 terrorism charges on Monday his Moroccan-born wife Najat Mostafa, 55, and some of their eight children still live in a £1.25 million five bedroom house provided by a west London local authority.
Four of Hamza's children have served prison sentences, including Mohammed Musafa Kamel, his 32-year-old son, and Mohssin Ghailam, his step son, 33, who were both jailed in Yemen for terrorism offences in 1999.
It is understood Hammersmith and Fulham council are unable to move the family on despite concerns about the cost of the property.
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The family is believed to receive at least £650 a week in benefits, bringing their annual income in housing benefit and child benefit to more than £33,000 a year.
Miss Patel said: "I think the public will be appalled that this situation can continue, and that this family can just carry on living off the State at enormous cost.
"The public will find it unacceptable, and I find it unacceptable.
"We need to look at ways in which we can change it.
"Where there are criminal connections and criminal convictions it really is deeply offensive to the public to see this.
"We have to look at this in a detailed way, rather than just accepting that they can carry on at the taxpayer's expense."
David Davies, the Conservative MP for Monmouth, said: "A Conservative government after the next election should turf out terrorists and their families and stop supporting them here at the taxpayers' expense."
Today, Theresa May, the Home Secretary, refused to comment on the family's benefits, but said: "The important thing is that a man who has been identified as a terrorist and a very dangerous individual is now going to be behind bars.
"I expect him to be behind bars for a very long time.
"I worked very hard to ensure the Americans were able to extradite him. I was very pleased when he was put on a plane and has now been brought to justice."
Mrs May has been under renewed pressure to secure a deal with the United States which will allow Britain to extradite a man alleged to be one Abu Hamza's lieutenants.
The Home Secretary has just over three weeks left to obtain assurances from the US over how Haroon Aswat will be treated if he is sent to America for trial.
One Conservative MP said it would be a "scandal" if British-born Aswat was able to avoid facing trial in America, and urged Mrs May to re-double her efforts to finalise a deal that will satisfy the court.
It came as British police and security services faced growing recriminations over their failure to act sooner against Abu Hamza.
Lord Macdonald of River Glaven QC, the former Director of Public Prosecutions, said it was a "mistake" not to take action against Hamza years ago.
"I think that around that time, and earlier certainly in the 90s, we didn't take seriously enough people like Abu Hamza," he told BBC Radio Four's World at One.
"I think there was a feeling that they were ranters and their bark was worse than their bite. I think that was a mistake."
The Telegraph can also disclose that a report by Scotland Yard established as early as 1999 that Hamza was linked with the hostage-taking in Yemen the previous year, in which four Western tourists were killed, including three Britons, but police failed to prosecute him.
A High Court ruling from 2008, during Hamza's fight against extradition, disclosed: "The report expressed itself in unequivocal terms, that links between the appellant and the hostage takers were established.
"It was however decided in the United Kingdom that neither the appellant (Hamza) nor any other suspect should be prosecuted for criminal involvement in the Yemeni hostage taking offences."
Evidence available to officers would not have been sufficient to secure a conviction in British courts, the High Court ruling went on, because some would have been inadmissible.
O FACTO DESSES MESMOS GUERRILHEIROS TEREM EXPULSO E ROUBADO CENTENAS DE MILHAR DE PORTUGUESES FOI VARRIDO PARA DEBAIXO DO TAPETE...
OS INTERNACIONALISTAS AGORA SÓ LHES ESTENDEM TAPETES VERMELHOS E MUITA DISCRIMINAÇÃO POSITIVA.E NADA DE MUSEUS E COMEMORAÇÕES DOS DESCOBRIMENTOS ...SÓ PAGAMENTOS GARANTIDOS AOS COLECTIVOS DO DIREITO À HABITAÇÃO E À CIDADE...ESTÃO A VER O MILAGRE NÃO ESTÃO?QUE PODEM VER TODOS OS MESES NOS BOLETINS DE VENCIMENTO...
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