Muslim cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri faces extradition by Britain to the United States on terror charges as British Home Secretary Jacqui Smith signed an extradition order on Thursday.

City of Westminster Magistrates Court approved the extradition in November last year and the decision has now been ratified by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith who signed an extradition order which Abu Hamza has 14 days to appeal against, according to a BBC report.

If there is no successful appeal Abu Hamza will be handed over to the American authorities within 28 days.

The Egyptian-born preacher was convicted in February 2006 of 11of the 15 charges he faced in Britain and is currently serving a seven-year jail term in the country for inciting murder and race hate.

The 49-year-old from west London is wanted by the American authorities on 11 charges, the report said.

The U.S. government wants to put Abu Hamza on trial over allegations that he funded terrorism, organized a "terrorist training camp" in Oregon between 1998 and 2000, and conspired to take 12 Westerners hostage in Yemen in 1998.

The American charges carry a potential jail sentence of 100 years. 
 
(Xinhua News Agency February 8, 2008)