According to British MP, Labour member Andrew Dismore, "one of the first candidates for deportation under the new law, if not the very first, should be Abu Hamza." The Egyptian Abu Hamza the Iron-Handed is known for his extremist statements and actively supports Chechen terrorists living in Great Britain. Instead of a hand lost in battles against infidels in Afghanistan, he has an iron hook prosthesis.
"Abu Hamza is a citizen of Great Britain. Now, under the new law, the Home Secretary can deprive a person of British citizenship if their actions damage the vital interests of Great Britain," said Vladimir Andreyev, a counselor at the Russian Embassy in Great Britain. "After deprivation of citizenship, Abu Hamza may become subject to anti-terrorism laws. Foreigners, even those merely suspected of terrorist activity, can be imprisoned or deported from the country. It is quite possible that this is what will happen to Abu Hamza."
The possible punishment of Abu Hamza is also a diplomatic victory for Russia. However, what worries Moscow most are the Chechen separatists living in London. But Chechens, says Vladimir Andreyev, "are not citizens of Great Britain, so any new measure is unlikely to ease or complicate their situation." However, he believes that "interest in these people in England is fading."
According to official London, there are about 2.2 million foreign residents and workers in the country. In 2002, up to 9,000 foreigners (mostly Iraqis) each month convinced the British government that they faced danger in their homeland. Before the adoption of the new law, Great Britain was a country with very liberal immigration rules.
However, the Egyptian millionaire Mohamed al-Fayed, owner of the famous London department store Harrods, never considered England a liberal country. During 35 years of living there, he never obtained citizenship. He and his son Dodi al-Fayed (a close friend of Princess Diana, who died with her in a car accident in 1997) were twice denied British passports. At the end of March, al-Fayed, having never received British citizenship, moved to Switzerland to live, extremely dissatisfied with the attitude of the British authorities toward him and his family.