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PM confirms he is 'very pleased' at Strasbourg court's decision to reject claim by terrorist suspects over potential torture in US
David Cameron has praised a decision by human rights judges that paves the way for radical cleric Abu Hamza and four other terrorist suspects to be extradited to the US.
The prime minister said he was "very pleased" the European court of human rights in Strasbourg had rejected the men's claims that they could face prison conditions and jail terms in the US that would amount to "torture".
Speaking during a trade mission to south-east Asia, Cameron said: "I am very pleased with the news. It is quite right that we have proper legal processes, although sometimes one can get frustrated with how long they take."
Cameron added: "I think it is very important that the deportation and expulsion arrangements [work] promptly and properly, particularly when people are accused of very serious crimes."
The five men had argued that in the US they could face prison conditions and jail terms that would expose them to "torture or inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment" in breach of the European human rights code.
The home secretary, Theresa May, said the government "will work to ensure that the suspects are handed over to the US authorities as quickly as possible".
She added: "I welcome the decision of the European court of human rights to allow the extradition of Abu Hamza and other terror suspects.
"In five of the six cases, the court found that extradition would not breach their human rights and, in the remaining case, it asked for further information before taking a final decision."
Conservative MP Dominic Raab welcomed the court's ruling: "To say that we couldn't extradite serious terrorist players to the US because they may get a long sentence in difficult, tough prison conditions would be ludicrous," he told BBC News.
"It would be ludicrous as a moral matter but it would also undermine the whole basis for counter-terrorism extradition to the US."
The ruling was given a cautious welcome by former Liberal Democrat leader Sir Menzies Campbell, who said it would be important to study the detailed judgment.
"This decision will do a great deal to restore the reputation of the court but we must be cautious in drawing unjustified conclusions," he said.
"The detail and reasoning of the judgment has to be carefully examined but perhaps now we can have a rational debate about the role and significance of the European convention and its fundamental importance to a democratic society like our own."
