By STEPHANIE BERZON AND RYAN SIT
Three prisoners recently extradited from Britain pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to various terrorism charges in Manhattan Federal Court.
Among the charges were attempting to establish a terrorist training camp in Oregon, “facilitating violent Jihad in Afghanistan,” and conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction.
Mustafa Kamel Mustafa, Adel Abdel Bary and Khaled al Fawwaz face multiple life terms after extradition from Britain on Saturday with two other terrorist suspects who are awaiting trial in New Haven.
Extremist Islamic cleric Mustafa – widely known as “Abu Hamza” – remained seated as Judge Katherine B. free run 6 femmes Forrest entered the courtroom. His Metropolitan Correctional Center scrubs exposed scar tissue covered arms, which extend into stumps. Mustafa lost both hands and his left eye when explosive devises he was assembling accidentally detonated.
Before he arrived in Manhattan, Mustafa, 54, had been using a prosthetic hook as his right hand. “He’s having a hard time. He has no hands,” said his court-appointed defense attorney Jeremy Schneider.
Schneider said that they would be looking into getting Mustafa prosthetic limbs.
Mustafa faces 11 counts, which together carry a maximum sentence of two life terms and 100 years imprisonment. Included in the indictment was the taking of hostages in Yemen in December 1998 when he allegedly acted as an intermediary for hostage-takers who stormed an SUV and took 16 hostages by force, including two U.S. nationals, to compel the Yemen government to meet their demands.
The following October Mustafa discussed creating a Jihad – or holy war – training camp in Bly, Ore., with Oussama Abdullah Kassir, Haroon Rashid Aswat and others. alleged the government. Kassir was later tried and convicted of conspiring to kill persons overseas and provide support for terrorists and al Qaeda, among other charges in 2009. Aswat was arrested in 2005 in Zambia, deported to England, and arrested again at the request of the U.S. His extradition is pending in the European Court of Human Rights.
In November 2000, Mustafa helped a co-conspirator find passage to Afghan terrorist training camp through Pakistan, at times using designated safe-houses, court documents indicated.
Four counts against Mustafa allege a direct connection with al Qaeda and the Taliban; that he attempted to supply materials, including stockpiled weapons, to the terrorist organization.
Judge Forrester set trial for August 26.
One hour before Mustafa made his appearance, Bary, 52, and Fawwaz, 50, entered the free run 6 v2 femmes courtroom of Judge Lewis A. Kaplan where they were charged with conspiring with al Qaeda members to kill United States nationals.
Bary faced additional charges of conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction and other offenses in connection to the 1998 bombings of U.S. Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that killed a total 224 and injured thousands more. He was charged with 284 criminal counts, carrying a maximum sentence of 283 life terms plus 15 years in prison. Fawwaz faced four counts, each with a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Their trail was set for October 7, 2013.
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