Pizzas galore!

It is unclear if he fought there, but when he returned to the UK with his British passport in the early 1990s he was missing his right hand and an eye.

In 1996 he re-emerged at the Finsbury Park Mosque in north London preaching jihad to a young congregation.

Then in January 1999 three British tourists were killed in Yemen, drawing public attention to the civil war between fundamentalists and the secular government there, which accused Abu Hamza of using his mosque to recruit Islamic warriors to the fundamentalist cause.

He was alleged to have been the leader of a cell called Supporters of Sharia and was accused of sending his son, Mustafa Kamel, to Yemen, where he and five other British Muslims were convicted on terrorist charges. Yemen said that it wanted him extradited.

But he continued to court controversy. Following the September 11 attacks in the US, he said: "Many people will be happy, jumping up and down at this moment."

The Charity Commission banned Abu Hamza from preaching at Finsbury Park last year because he was accused of abusing his position for "personal and political, rather than charitable, purposes". But he continued addressing his followers from the pavement outside.

How close his links are to al-Qaeda are unknown, but it is alleged that he preached to the shoe bomber, Richard Reid, and Zacarias Moussaoui, the so-called 20th hijacker in the September 11 attacks. This only increased the pressure on authorities to act against him.

Last month Harriet Harman, the Solicitor General, said that the Crown Prosecution Service was investigating Abu Hamza following a Daily Mail report which quoted from statements allegedly representing Abu Hamza's uncensored views, which contrasted with his public statements.

In the tapes he allegedly called on his supporters to become suicide bombers in Britain.

Abu Hamza already faced possible extradition to Yemen before his arrest today, but the cleric has successfully managed to stall proceedings by lodging two appeals, seeking a judicial review and applying to the Treasury for legal aid to fight his case.

He also stalled the case by firstly failing to prepare a defence and then by claiming that he was unable to attend hearings during Ramadan, although even the courts in his birthplace, Egypt, remain open during the festival.

David Blunkett, the Home Secretary, decided to deport him to Yemen using the new Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act, based on the grounds that he encouraged people to fight against Britain.

Abu Hamza's latest appeal against the decision, due to have been heard before the Special Immigration Appeals Commission, was adjourned until January next year. Whether it is ever heard now remains to be seen.

Explore Specials

• Style Guide