A £1.7million London council home tenanted by a terrorist's family will be refurbished to the tune of £70,000 at the taxpayer's expense. Branded a "disgusting waste of public money", the luxury five-bedroom Edwardian property, where Abu Hamza's wife lives, will be upgraded with solar panels and loft insulation. It is also due to have new windows and doors fitted, which were "supplied by craftsmen", reports The Sun.
Tenancy for life
His wife, Najat Chaffe, 67, has a tenancy for life at the property in the conservation area of Shepherd's Bush, making it impossible to evict her. The Labour-run Hammersmith and Fulham Council have an obligation to maintain the property alongside the other homes.
The council's Tory opposition leader, Jose Afonso, raged: "This is a disgusting waste of public money. Residents will be appalled to know that not only are we housing the families of terrorists, we are doing so in five-bedroom houses and paying for extensive upgrades."
Family background
Ms Chaffe is the only person registered at the property, though her eight children were brought up there, seven of whom she shares with the terrorist. Several of their children were thrown in jail for drug-related offences, money laundering and fraud.
Egypt-born Hamza, 68, who rejoiced in the 9/11 attacks, became one of the UK's most prominent radical clerics, having preached Islamic fundamentalist views at the Finsbury Park Mosque in London.
Legal history
He was sentenced to seven years in prison in 2006 after a British court found he had used his sermons to incite murder and racial hatred. After an eight-year legal battle, he was extradited from the UK to the US in 2012 to face terrorism charges. In 2014, he was found guilty of eleven terrorism charges after plotting the kidnapping of 16 tourists in Yemen, which resulted in the deaths of four hostages. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
However, it was discovered in 2006 that Hamza secretly bought a £220,000 house in Greenford, west London, as a buy-to-let investment while in prison, and had paid private school fees for his children. A judge made him liable for £1million in legal aid costs, but Hamza claimed to have no assets.
Council obligation
Hammersmith and Fulham Council said it was legally required to upgrade about 1,000 properties. Planning permission has been submitted but not yet approved for works due to be completed before 2030. Express.co.uk has approached Hammersmith and Fulham Council for comment.
