Radical cleric Abu Hamza launches ‘make or break’ legal battle in US Supreme Court against terror convictions five years after being jailed for life

• Hate preacher begged lawyer to mount fresh legal bid to overturn convictions
• Described it as ‘make or break matter’ in letters sent to lawyer in recent months 
• His life sentence was upheld last October following a failed appeal bid – but lawyer said a fresh one will be submitted in two months 

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Hook-handed hate preacher Abu Hamza is desperately trying to mount a ‘make or break’ legal challenge to overturn his terror convictions in the US Supreme Court.

The radical imam, who preached at Finsbury Park mosque in north London in the 1990s, has pleaded with his lawyer to lodge another appeal in letters seen by The Telegraph.

The 60-year-old – whose real name is Mustafa Kamel Mustafa –  was given a life sentence without the possibility of parole in 2014 after being convicted of 11 terrorism charges.

Hook-handed hate preacher Abu Hamza is mounting a fresh legal bid to overturn his terror convictions in the US

The 60-year-old begged his lawyer to help him in a series of letters sent in recent months

Letters to his lawyer reveal he plans to appeal against nine of his convictions. During their correspondence, he seemed to blame his lawyer, Michael Bachrach, of ignoring requests for updates on an appeal lodged in October, the newspaper reports.

The ruling led to two of his Hamza’s convictions being reversed, including one for helping his followers travel to Afghanistan to join Al-Qaeda in 2000. It resulted in Hamza’s convictions being reduced from 11 to nine.

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In a November letter, the hate preacher wrote: ‘Please Michael, struggle to do my request in this letter… It is a make or break matter; I have no choice as I have no more room for manoeuvre. I am asking for the sincere effort not the result.

In another letter, sent this month, Hamza begged for his lawyer to respond, saying: ‘I have not heard from you in some time. I never received an of what i have been requested for ages despite I sending you many reminders [sic].’ 

In a November letter, the hate preacher wrote: ‘Please Michael, struggle to do my request in this letter… It is a make or break matter’

Hamza is currently being held at the ADX Supermax prison in Florence, Colorado. 

His lawyer said the appeal should be filed within two months, and if approved it’ll be ruled on by judges in 2021.

Mr Bachrach told The Telegraph he’s likely to argue the court’s original verdict in 2014 was ‘invalid’ because one of the witnesses had received incorrect treatment, the paper reports.

Hamza is currently being held at the ADX Supermax prison in Florence, Colorado, where conditions are tough. He wants to be sent back to the UK 

The radical cleric will fight for acquittal or a reduced sentence and will ask to be sent back to the UK – where he was originally serving an eight-year sentence before being extradited to the US in 2012. 

Since he was convicted of 11 charges in October 2015 he has been kept in solitary confinement, only being allowed out of his cell for an hour a day.

Before US prosecutors won their eight-year legal battle to extradite him from the UK in October 2012 he was locked up at Belmarsh in south east London – where things were quite different.

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