New York ( CNN ) Radical Islamic cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri , who was convicted of supporting al Qaeda and Taliban terrorists , was sentenced to life in prison Friday by a federal judge in New York . A federal jury in Manhattan convicted al-Masri in May of aiding kidnappers during a 1998 hostage-taking in Yemen , sending a young recruit to jihadists in Afghanistan , violating U.S. sanctions against the Taliban , and attempting to establish an al Qaeda-style training camp on the West Coast of the United States . `` Abu Hamza 's blood-soaked journey from cleric to convict , from Imam to inmate , is now complete , '' Preet Bharara , United States attorney for the Southern District of New York , said in a statement after sentencing . `` After years of fighting extradition , Abu Hamza finally faced justice , as all those who engage in terrorism against innocent civilians must , here in the U.S. , and all around the globe , as the terrible events in Paris remind us . '' On Friday , the cleric had a scruffy beard and wore a blue prison jumpsuit . He entered the courtroom with his arms exposed and without a prosthetic , which he put on occasionally to write . The high-profile London mosque leader gained notoriety for the metal hook he is sometimes depicted wearing in place of one of his missing hands , but he wore only an occasional writing prosthesis in the Manhattan courtroom during his monthlong trial . Contrary to stories that he lost the limbs in battle , al-Masri testified , his maiming was the result of an engineering accident . In imposing the life term , U.S. District Judge Katherine Forrest told al-Masri : `` I do n't believe the world would be safe with you in 10 years , 15 years or longer . '' Al-Masri , 56 , was found guilty of participating in a hostage-taking in Yemen in 1998 that resulted in four deaths , a conspiracy to establish a terrorist training camp in Bly , Oregon , and sending a follower to train and fight with al Qaeda in Afghanistan in 2000 . The cleric was extradited from the United Kingdom , where he had been convicted of inciting racial hatred and soliciting murder with his fiery sermons . A highlight of the trial came when al-Masri took the stand in his own defense and accused federal prosecutors of using `` pay-as-you-go witnesses '' and a `` cut-and-paste '' approach to his inflammatory comments , including statements about his admiration for late al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden . Lawyers for al-Masri asked the judge to send him to a medical facility instead of prison but Forrest said that decision will be made by the Federal Bureau of Prisons . CNN 's Dominique Dodley contributed to this report .
Radical Islamic cleric Abu Omar al - Masri was convicted of supporting al Qaeda and Taliban terrorists . Al - Omar was sentenced to life in prison by a federal jury in New York . Judge Katherine Miller tells al - Masri , ` ` I do n't believe the world would be safe with you in 10 years , 20 years or longer ''