Attorney-General John Ashcroft, the US attorney for New York and the city's police chief were just some of the big shots lined up to celebrate Hamza's London arrest.
http://theage.com.au/articles/2004/05/28/1085641711038.html

Upstaging the men in suits, standing stiffly in a row, was Abu Hamza himself, or rather a huge blow-up photo of him. The former nightclub bouncer could hardly have looked more bloodthirsty if he had tried.

The hook that substitutes for his right fist was raised in anger. What remains of his left eye strayed the other way. It looked like a recruitment poster for the US war against Middle Eastern terrorism. The image was also the ideal backdrop for the description of Hamza's role in allegedly bank-rolling, planning and supporting terrorism on three continents, as documented by officials at Thursday's media conference.

"Think of him as a freelance consultant to terrorist groups worldwide," said New York police chief Raymond Kelly.

Mr Ashcroft: "The United States will use every diplomatic, legal and administrative tool to pursue and prosecute those who facilitate terrorist activity and we will not stop until the war on terror is won," he said.

Hamza recently described US President George Bush as "Genghis Khan".

The US and British governments have now moved against him in spectacular fashion. But he will not go quietly.

The cleric's Britishness may prove a stumbling block to extradition. Britain is bound by its treaty with the US and European laws not to send its citizens to countries where they may face the death penalty. It is not yet clear why US Attorney-General Ashcroft raised that possibility in relation to the hostage-taking allegations Abu Hamza faces.

It is also unclear why British authorities, armed with evidence from the US, Britain and elsewhere, did not pursue him.

The appeal process open to Abu Hamza may mean it will be several months before it is known whether the US is successful. But having labelled him as "the real deal", Washington is clearly confident Abu Hamza will face justice in a country he has long reviled.