Preacher of hate Abu Hamza will be extradited to face life in an American prison

Government sources say they never expect to see him back in the UK. "This is very good news," said one.

The charges against Hamza, 50, include organising terror training camps and assisting an armed gang who abducted a party of Western tourists in Yemen in 1998.

Four people, including three Britons, died in the ensuing gun battle.

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Home Secretary Jacqui Smith formally signed the extradition order yesterday. Hamza was given the news in Belmarsh Prison in South-East London, where he is serving seven years for hate crimes.

Though his lawyers announced an appeal, Miss Smith's officials have spent two months trying to ensure their case is watertight and do not expect to lose.

They have secured agreements from the U.S. that Hamza will not be executed, or passed to any other country to face yet more charges.

Egyptian-born Hamza,a father of eight, has been in the UK since 1979, arriving as an engineering student. He fell under the influence of visiting extremist clerics and became a ranting advocate of holy war.

He used his position as imam of the Finsbury Park mosque in North London to try to win Muslim youths to his cause.

Muslim MP Khalid Mahmood called the Home Office move a victory for British Muslims, whose name had been tarnished by Hamza.

"Those who propagate evil, hate and division cannot be a part of British society," he said.

Hamza, who claims he lost his hands fighting the Russians after they invaded Afghanistan, was arrested almost four years ago on a "fast-track" U.S. extradition warrant. But the proceedings were put on hold while he faced trial for crimes committed in the UK.

In February 2006, he was jailed for seven years for soliciting murder and inciting racial hatred - effectively acting, the prosecution said, as a recruiting sergeant for terrorism.

The extradition proceedings then resumed but Hamza won repeated postponements on health grounds - including ingrowing toenails.

Hugo Keith, representing the U.S. Government, said the cleric had been involved in "blatant violence, kidnapping and terrorist training" and was a member of a global conspiracy to wage jihad against the U.S. and other countries.

A judge in the lower courts agreed to the extradition in November and Miss Smith has now cleared it.

Since Hamza was jailed, a series of trials have revealed his links to terrorist activity in Britain.

The July 7 London bombers were inspired by his sermons and the would-be bombers of July 21 were regular worshippers at his mosque.

Last night, Anjem Choudary - the righthand man to extremist Omar Bakri - called the Home Office move "absolutely outrageous".

He added: "I think he is the victim of a witch hunt. We are living in an apartheid Britain when there is one law for Muslims and another law for non-Muslims."

Hamza's lawyer Muddassar Arani said they would appeal and added that she feared he would face torture in the U.S.

She said: "We have standards in this country that will not be upheld if we extradite Hamza and whatever people think of him they should understand that."

Hamza's various court appearances have run up a legal aid bill of more than £1million. But the discovery that he has hidden assets worth hundreds of thousands may mean he is forced to repay.

He took advantage of a right-to-buy scheme to pay £75,000 for a council flat in West London, selling it several years later for £228,000. He then paid £220,000 for a 1930s semi which is now worth around £280,000.

His second wife is believed to be living off state benefits. Hamza claims they have split, so she is entitled to housing benefit and income support.