US judge orders Abu Hamza stay in detention

NEW YORK (AFP) - A United States judge ordered that the radical Islamist preacher Abu Hamza be kept in detention, after a brief court hearing on Saturday in New York where the terror suspect was told of the 11 charges he faces.

Hamza, who lacked his trademark hook on the stump of his right arm, did not speak at the hearing which followed his extradition from Britain and was a prelude to a formal arraignment due on Tuesday where he will be formally charged.

"You have the right to remain silent," magistrate judge Frank Maas told the accused before summarizing the charges.

Sabrina Shroff, a lawyer for the self-avowed cleric, requested he be given special shoes without which "he will not be able to function in a civilised way" and requested medical care on account of his diabetes.