LONDON: Anjem Choudary, Britain’s most high-profile Islamist preacher whose followers have been linked to numerous plots across the world, has been found guilty of inviting support for Islamic State.
Choudary, 49, was convicted at London’s Old Bailey court of using online lectures and messages to encourage support for the banned group. Notorious in Britain where the tabloids denounce him as a hate preacher, he is also well-known abroad, making TV appearances in the wake of attacks by Islamist militants to blame Western foreign policy for targeting Muslims.
“These men have stayed just within the law for many years, but there is no one within the counter terrorism world that has any doubts of the influence that they have had, the hate they have spread and the people that they have encouraged to join terrorist organisations,” said Dean Haydon, head of London police’s Counter Terrorism Command.
Prosecutors said Choudary and his associate Mizanur Rahman, 33, had pledged allegiance to the “caliphate” declared by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and said Muslims had a duty to obey or provide support to him. Both men, who had denied the terrorism charges, claimed the case was politically motivated.