London ? The British government has revoked the citizenship of Muslim cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri, who was ejected from a London mosque for his radical sermons and is wanted in Yemen on terrorism charges.

Home Secretary David Blunkett said Saturday that he had invoked a law allowing citizenship to be stripped from immigrants who “seriously prejudice” the country’s interest. The law went into effect on Tuesday.

Al-Masri’s citizenship has so far protected him from any moves to extradite him to Yemen.

Al-Masri has been one of the most visible faces of radical Islam in Britain. He lost both hands and an eye fighting Soviet forces in Afghanistan.

Blunkett suggested that al-Masri had encouraged others to fight against Britain, which has participated in the Afghan and Iraq wars.

Muslim cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri kneels before addressing an audience of about 120 during prayers outside the Finsbury Park mosque in north London. The British government has revoked the citizenship of the radical cleric, an official confirmed Saturday.

“The evidence that would have to be adduced if this man appeals and his lawyers decide to challenge us would be about the way in which people are encouraged to take part in jihad and are encouraged to fight us overseas and issues of that sort,” Blunkett said in an interview with British Broadcasting Corp. radio.

“If you encourage, support, advise, help people to take up training, if you facilitate them, then of course that takes you right over the boundary,” Blunkett said.

In February, the government’s Charity Commission ordered Al-Masri to stop preaching at the Finsbury Park mosque in north London because his “extreme and political” statements were ruled to be in conflict with the mosque’s charitable status.

The commission was supported by the mosque’s trustees.

Since his eviction, al-Masri has continued to preach outside the mosque.

On Friday, he described President Bush as “the Ghengis Khan of this century” and Tony Blair as “his chambermaid.”

“The Ghengis Khans of the west are Tony Blair and George Bush. We are just wondering when our blood is going to be shed,” he said.

The U.S. government says al-Masri is a member of the Islamic Army of Aden, the organization that claimed responsibility for the bombing of the USS Cole in Yemen. He is wanted in Yemen for allegedly orchestrating terrorist activities there.