THREE of the London bombers have been linked to jailed Muslim cleric Abu Hamza.

Reports suggested that two of the four Yorkshire suicide bombers, Mohammed Sidique Khan and Shehzad Tanweer, had stayed at the Finsbury Park mosque where Hamza preached his messages of hate.

And a third, former Huddersfield student Jermaine Lindsay, is reported to have listened to Hamza's sermons.

The seven-year sentence on Hamza was welcomed by Muslims in Huddersfield today.

Mohammed Imran, a spokesman for the Muslim Faith Centre at Lockwood, said: "We are glad he is off the streets."

Scotland Yard said it had no evidence to support claims that the July 7 suicide bombers were preached to by Hamza.

The Daily Mail and The Times reported today that suspected ringleader Khan, 30, of Thornhill Lees, Dewsbury, and Bradford-born Shehzad Tanweer, had visited Finsbury Park Mosque in North London, where Hamza was the central figure.

The reports also alleged that Lindsay, of Rawthorpe, Huddersfield, another of the bombers, had attended Hamza's sermons outside the mosque.

But a Scotland Yard spokeswoman said today: "We have no evidence at this stage that any of those involved had connections with Abu Hamza and anyone who has any relevant information should contact us."

In Huddersfield, Mr Imran said: "Hamza does not represent the Muslims at all. He speaks for only a very small minority.

"People like ourselves have been asking for a long time for the police to take action against him and we are bemused it took so long.

"I don't think you will find anyone in Huddersfield who supports his views. He is a loose cannon and his going to jail is good news for both Muslims and non-Muslims."

Meanwhile a senior French intelligence chief says the UK failed to take action against radical Muslim cleric Abu Hamza for years, despite evidence that he was involved in terrorism.

Christophe Chaboud, director of France's national anti-terrorism co-ordination unit (UCLAT), said French intelligence had passed on evidence implicating Hamza and believed he was playing a key role in spreading jihad - holy war.

Hamza was jailed for seven years at the Old Bailey yesterday after he was convicted of a string of race hate and terror charges.

Sentencing him, Mr Justice Hughes said he had "helped to create an atmosphere in which to kill has become regarded by some as not only a legitimate course but a moral and religious duty in pursuit of perceived justice."

The judge said: "No one can now say what damage your words may have caused. No one can say whether your audience, present or wider, acted on your words."

But he added that his views had caused "real danger to the lives of innocent people in different parts of the world."

Hamza, 47, described by security sources as a key figure in the global Islamic terror movement, was convicted on 11 out of 15 charges by the Old Bailey jury on the fourth day of its deliberations.

The jurors were not told that the former Imam was also wanted in the US where he is accused of terror charges.