And, bizarrely, piece of human excrement "
might be upgrading his hooks to hands thanks to the American taxpayer."
NEW YORK (Reuters) - One-eyed radical Islamist cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri pleaded not guilty to 11 criminal counts in federal court on Tuesday after Britain extradited him to the United States last week to face trial and a possible life sentence on terrorism charges.
U.S. District Court Judge Katherine Forrest in Manhattan set a trial date of August 26, 2013, for the Egyptian-born preacher, who is missing both his hands and an eye - injuries he says he sustained during humanitarian work in Afghanistan in the 1980s.
Hamza, 54, was accused in 2004 of participating in a 1998 hostage-taking in Yemen that resulted in the deaths of three Britons and an Australian. He is also charged with providing material support to the al Qaeda network by trying to set up a training camp in Oregon and with attempting to organize support for the Taliban in Afghanistan.
After an eight-year battle to avoid extradition, he was flown late on Friday to the United States along with four other men also wanted on U.S. terrorism charges.
Hamza made an initial appearance in federal court in Saturday but did not enter a plea at that time.
At Tuesday's hearing, he again appeared without his prosthetic - a signature metal hook - that he wears because of his missing forearms.
Hamza pleaded not guilty to the 11 criminal counts that included hostage taking, providing material support to terrorists, and conspiracy charges. Hamza could face up to life in prison if convicted on the charges.
Hamza, through his attorney, asked that he be referred to as Mustafa Kamel Mustafa, his name at birth, instead of Abu Hamza, his adopted moniker.
Jeremy Schneider, his court-appointed lawyer, told the judge that his client wished to enter "a plea of not guilty to that indictment."
"Is that your plea, Mr. Mustafa?" the judge asked. "Yes, it is," he answered.
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