London, Asharq Al-Awsat—Egyptian-born radical preacher Abu Hamza Al-Masri, serving a life sentence in the US on terrorism charges, has spoken out from his prison cell, exclusively revealing to Asharq Al-Awsat that he has been held in solitary confinement since his extradition from the UK and that the prison authorities have confiscated his prosthetic limbs.

The infamous former Finsbury Park mosque preacher was sentenced to life imprisonment with no possibility of release by a US federal court in January 2015 after being found guilty of a number of terrorist-related charges, including involvement in the 1998 kidnapping of 16 tourists in Yemen, providing material support for terrorists and attempting to create a terrorist training camp in Oregon. He is being held in a federal super-max prison.

Abu Hamza informed Asharq Al-Awsat of his condition in prison via a message relayed by his family. US authorities have only recently allowed the Egyptian-born preacher to speak with his family. He is permitted to speak to his family once every month for 30 minutes, although prison authorities lately retracted privilege as a punishment after he failed to provide a urine sample.

Abu Hamza says he was unable to provide a urine sample given the size of the container, citing his lack of prosthetics. The preacher relayed his statements to a family member during this phone call who in turn relayed them to Asharq Al-Awsat.

Speaking via a family member, Abu Hamza said that he was being denied his “basic human rights”, including not being permitted to contact his family, as well as issues relating to his prosthetics. He is provided food via packages, which he has trouble opening given that, his prosthetics have been confiscated.

Abu Hamza said that he had lost a great deal of weight as a result of this, telling Asharq Al-Awsat: “I can now count my ribs. The Americans are trying to kill me slowly.”

Abu Hamza has also raised questions regarding the medicine that the prison is prescribing him, saying that he had refused to take medicine that prison authorities claim are for high blood pressure.

“As a result of his refusal, the prison guards try to inflict mental torture on the sheikh by not allowing him to go to sleep during the night,” a family member told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Abu Hamza claims that guards banged on a pipe that runs through his cell for several nights, causing him to lose sleep.

“After many nights of sleep deprivation, Abu Hamza is left with no choice but to take the medicine, however … it makes him pass out and lose consciousness,” the family member said.

Despite all this, Abu Hamza stressed that he was in “high spirits” and that he is strong and continues to stand firm. “God is with me,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat via a family member.

“Everything in this world is temporary. Whatever hardship I am facing right now will pass, God willing. Heaven is waiting for me and those like me,” he said.