10:28pm UK, Thursday May 27, 2004

:: Sheikh Abu Hamza was born Mustafa Kamel Mustafa in Alexandria, Egypt, to middle-class parents.

180 Abu Hamza muslim leader finsbury park mosque

Hamza: Fighting deportation

:: He came to the UK in the early 1980s with plans to study to become a civil engineer in Brighton.

:: In 1981 while studying in Brighton and working as a bouncer in London, he met and married Valerie Fleming, and received his British citizenship.

:: The couple divorced a number of years later and Hamza travelled to Afghanistan to fight the "jihad" against the Soviet occupation.

:: While there he suffered injuries to his hands and eye - which make him such a distinctive figure. Hamza said he was injured while clearing Soviet landmines.

:: On returning to the UK, Hamza began preaching at the Finsbury Park mosque in north London.

:: In February 1999, he was linked to terrorists on trial in the Yemen accused of kidnapping Westerners. Yemen claimed he was behind a planned terror campaign and said it wanted him extradited.

:: Hamza was later arrested and questioned by Scotland Yard detectives on suspicion of terrorism offences in Yemen.

:: He was held for several days before being released without charge. He always maintained his innocence.

:: Following the September 11 attacks on the US, Hamza's comments in support of Osama bin Laden sparked outrage.

:: In April 2002, Hamza was formally suspended by the Charity Commission from his position at a London mosque over his inflammatory speeches.

:: In February 2003, Hamza sparked outrage by describing the Columbia space shuttle as a "Trinity of evil" as it had Christians, Hindus and a Jewish person aboard. He described its destruction as a punishment from Allah.

:: In April 2003, David Blunkett announced new laws allowing British citizenship to be removed from immigrants who "seriously prejudice" the UK's interests. Legal moves began immediately to strip Hamza of his British citizenship and deport him to Yemen.

:: Two weeks later, on April 18, 2003, Hamza's lawyers revealed he was to appeal against the move.

:: Last month that fight began, but a full hearing by the Special Immigration Appeals Commission was not due to take place until January 10, 2005.