Anjem Choudary: Preacher guilty of directing banned terror group

Controversial religious leader Anjem Choudary has been convicted of leading a banned group under UK terrorism laws and promoting its online activities.

Choudary was found guilty on Tuesday of serving as a temporary leader within Al-Muhajiroun (ALM) following a court case at Woolwich Crown Court.

ALM, formerly known as Al Ghurabaa, was listed as a banned organization by the home secretary in 2006. In 2010, ALM was also added to the ban list as an alias.

The prosecutors claimed that Choudary had been in charge of it for a long time after 2014 and had urged people to show their support by speaking at virtual meetings.

Choudary testified during his trial that he was part of the original trio who established ALM in 1996.

The prosecution claimed he was still actively leading the group as of July 2023, delivering speeches online to a branch in the US known as Islamic Thinkers Society (ITS).

The US law enforcement officers secretly joined the group and attended virtual lectures in 2022 and 2023.

During the trial, Choudary claimed that he saw being labeled as an extremist as a badge of honor when discussing his beliefs.

The guilty verdict came after the Metropolitan Police, the NYPD, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police conducted thorough investigations.

Chief Dominic Murphy, leader of the Metropolitan Police's anti-terrorism unit, stated: "ALM's influence has reached worldwide and has greatly impacted the safety and protection of the public."

Individuals affiliated with ALM have been tied to incidents that authorities have described as terrorism-related.

The trio of individuals who caused the deaths of eight individuals at London Bridge in 2017 were orchestrated by a previous ALM affiliate, while the fatal attack on five people at Westminster Bridge earlier that year was carried out by a man who had long been connected with the organization. In 2019, a member of the group also took the lives of two individuals at Fishmongers Hall.

Following its ban in 2010, ALM frequently switched its name. Choudary revealed in a secret audio recording played during his trial that the group used over 50 different aliases throughout its time in operation.

Choudary, a 57-year-old man from Ilford in east London, was taken into custody on July 17th, 2023.

In 2016, he was imprisoned for promoting the Islamic State group. He was later released in 2018. During his trial, he informed the jury that he had been actively spreading Islam since his release.

Another person who supported him, Khaled Hussein, age 29, from Edmonton, Canada, was also found to be part of ALM. He was taken into custody upon his arrival at Heathrow Airport - also on 17 July of the previous year.

Both individuals will receive their punishment on July 30th.

Commander Murphy stated that the charge applied to Choudary was uncommon in the UK and marked a significant achievement.

He mentioned that the counter-terrorism team at Met Police is noticing a growing number of young individuals in their investigations.