A MUSLIM cleric who backed the September 11 attackers may be stripped of his British passport when a new law comes into force in April.

The Home Secretary is preparing to move against Abu Hamza al-Masri under a regulation enabling him to strip a person of citizenship if he thinks he has done anything “seriously prejudicial to the vital interests” of Britain.

Deporting Mr Hamza could prove more difficult. However, if he is no longer a British citizen, the Government could detain him without trial. Thirteen foreign terror suspects are currently held in jails.

Beverley Hughes, the Immigration Minister, gave the clearest hint yesterday that the Home Office want to act against Mr Hamza, 44, who holds joint Egyptian and British nationality.

The department has long been frustrated at being unable to strip him of his British citizenship and deport him. Ms Hughes told MPs at Home Office Questions that Mr Hamza, imam at the Finsbury Park Mosque in North London, was being watched very closely.

She added that the Home Office was awaiting for the new powers to come into force to “deal with” him.

Ms Hughes told MPs: “The activities of the person referred to, and indeed of other people, are being very, very closely monitored.

“The Government will initiate deprivation action if we consider the facts of an individual case meet the test set out in Section 4 (of the Asylum, Immigration and Nationality Act).”

The previous 1981 Nationality Act was “weak” and it was right to wait for the new powers to come into force to ensure effective measures were in place to deal with the problem.

Mr Hamza has been banned by the Charity Commission from speaking at the Finsbury Park Mosque in North London which has been shut after an anti-terrorism raid.

He was accused of abusing his position to preach his radical brand of Islam and make inflammatory sermons.

Last month The Times disclosed that his British citizenship is based on a bigamous marriage. He was granted the right to remain in Britain after he married Valerie Traverso, a young Englishwoman, in May 1980. The Times established that Ms Traverso was already married, and not divorced until July 1982.

Ms Hughes disclosed that the Government was closely monitoring Mr Hamza when she was questioned by a Labour MP.

Andrew Dismore, MP for Hendon had said: “Bearing in mind that Abu Hamza continues to spread his message of hate against Jews, Hindus, the US and Britain, has seditiously abused the sanctity of Finsbury Park Mosque to incite violence and race hatred, and actively recruited among British Muslims for terrorism abroad and fundraised for terrorist groups, is wanted overseas for serious terrorism offences, is there any reason why Section 4 of the Act should not be used to deprive him of his citizenship?”

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