A radical Egyptian-born Muslim preacher appeared in a New York courtroom Saturday, facing multiple terrorism charges.

Abu Hamza al-Masri was one of five terror defendants arrested in Britain and extradited over the weekend.

Al-Masri was arrested in Britain for inciting racial hatred and urging followers to kill non-Muslims.

He now faces charges for allegedly conspiring with others in Seattle to set up a terrorist training camp in Oregon and for the abduction of 16 hostages, including two Americans, in Yemen in 1998.

In the 1990s, the 54-year-old allegedly turned London's Finsbury Park Mosque into a training ground for extremist Islamists, attracting men, including Sept. 11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui and "shoe bomber" Richard Reid.

Former Homeland Security Secretary, Michael Chertoff, called Al-Masri "a very, very dangerous individual; a person who has not just conspired, but actually worked operationally, so it is charged, to have terrorist attacks carried out against Americans."

Chertoff stressed the importance of bringing him to justice.

All five men have been battling extradition for between eight to 14 years and now could face life in prison.