- Monday, March 10, 2025
Anjem Choudary has dual British and Pakistani nationality, and was found guilty of directing a terrorist organisation
By: Shajil Kumar
RADICAL Islamist preacher Anjem Choudary, whose followers have been linked to numerous plots across the world, was convicted of terrorism offences after a trial in a London court on Tuesday.
Prosecutors said Choudary directed al-Muhajiroun (ALM), which was banned as a terrorist organisation more than a decade ago, and encouraged others to support the group, which Choudary denied.
Choudary, 57, who has dual British and Pakistani nationality, was found guilty of directing a terrorist organisation and addressing meetings to encourage support for a proscribed organisation after a trial at Woolwich Crown Court.
Once Britain’s most high-profile Islamist preacher, Choudary was previously imprisoned in London’s high-security Belmarsh prison in 2016 for encouraging support for Islamic State before being released in 2018 after serving half of his five-and-a-half year sentence.
Choudary’s licence conditions prevented him from using the internet until July 2021. But within days of the conditions expiring, he began issuing press releases on WhatsApp and Telegram from his home in Ilford, his trial heard.
UK-born Choudary now faces life imprisonment when he is sentenced on July 30.
The investigation was done by the Metropolitan Police in coordination with the New York Police Department, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
“ALM’s tentacles have spread across the world and have had a massive impact on public safety and security,” said Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Metropolitan Police’s Counter-Terrorism Command.
ALM was first proscribed by the UK in 2006 under the name Al Ghurabaa. In 2010, ALM was included in the ban as an alternate name.
Choudary was one of the original three members of ALM, which was founded in 1996. (Agencies)
