Abu Hamza's London home set for £70,000 taxpayer-funded upgrade

A five-bedroom council house in London associated with jailed hate preacher Abu Hamza is reportedly scheduled to receive approximately £70,000 worth of taxpayer-funded improvements. The property, located in Shepherd's Bush, west London, is occupied by Hamza's wife, Najat Chaffe, who is the sole registered resident.

The planned upgrades include new windows and doors, solar panels, and loft insulation. Hammersmith and Fulham Council, which is responsible for maintaining the property under a long-standing tenancy agreement, stated it is legally obligated to carry out improvement works across its housing stock. The Shepherd's Bush home is among about 1,000 properties slated for such improvements, with work expected to be completed by the end of the decade. Planning permission for the works has been submitted but not yet approved.

Abu Hamza, 68, is currently serving a life sentence in a maximum-security U.S. prison. He was extradited from the UK to the U.S. in 2012 after a lengthy legal battle. In 2014, he was convicted in New York for his role in a plot to kidnap tourists in Yemen and for conspiring to establish a terrorist training camp in Oregon. He was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2015 and is held at ADX Florence in Colorado.

The property's estimated value is around £1.7 million. Neighbors and local reports indicated Hamza was frequently seen at the house before his arrest in 2004, though he never officially resided there. His wife moved into the house in 1995, after claiming separation.

The home has previously been the subject of controversy regarding its size and the terms of Chaffe's tenancy. In 2012, the council attempted to move her to a smaller property, citing the large number of people on the borough's housing waiting list. However, she was entitled to refuse based on her existing tenancy agreement.

The cost of the renovations has drawn criticism from the council's Conservative opposition leader, Jose Afonso, who described it as a "disgusting waste of public money." He expressed concern that residents would be dismayed by the use of public funds for such upgrades.

This is not the first time Hamza's finances have been a subject of public scrutiny. In 2007, a court found he secretly owned a property while receiving legal aid, leading to him being made liable for around £1 million in legal costs, a bill he reportedly did not pay.

Hamza was originally jailed in Britain in 2006 for soliciting murder and inciting racial hatred. He previously sought compassionate release from his U.S. prison, with his legal team raising concerns about his solitary confinement conditions and medical treatment. His family has publicly expressed their distress over his absence and their desire for his return.