By Euro Weekly News Media • Published: 17 Aug 2016 • 14:41
RADICAL British hate preacher Anjem Choudary has been found guilty of urging his followers to fight for Daesh in Syria.
An Old Bailey jury convicted the Islamist cleric, who has cultivated a profitable niche as an extremist media mascot, after hearing that he had sworn an oath of allegiance to the terrorist outfit, and told his supporters to pledge fealty to Omar Bakri Muhammad, the militia’s self-styled caliph.
Although the verdict was delivered in July, details of the trial could not be reported until now, and the 49-year-old, thought to have influenced hundreds of violent extremists, will face up to 10 years imprisonment when sentenced on September 6.
Choudary, a Woolwich-born former lawyer known as ‘Andy’ in his Southampton University days, became absorbed by Islamist ideology in the 1990’s, entering public consciousness as a spokesman for al-Muhajiroun, an extremist group led by Omar Bakri, the ‘Tottenham Ayatollah’.
After al-Muhajiroun was disbanded Choudary went on to become a prominent media spokesman for Islam4UK, a controversy-courting outfit calling for the implementation of Sharia law across Britain, and the conversion of Buckingham Palace into a mosque.
To the bafflement of Muslim community leaders he spread his message free from legal repercussions and was lavished with media attention, despite his overtly anti-democratic philosophy and pernicious influence on vulnerable young disciples.
Head of the Metropolitan police’s counter-terrorism unit, Commander Dean Haydon, said: “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.
“Over and over again we have seen people on trial for the most serious offences who have attended lectures or speeches given by these men. The oath of allegiance was a turning point for the police – at last we had the evidence that they had stepped over the line and we could prove they supported Isis.”
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He should have been deported years ago. Lets hope that he gets a very stiff sentence, but there again, while in prison he will no doubt be doing everything he can to convert prisoners to terrorism. Once he has completed his sentence he should be deported immediately.
He can’t be deported he was born in the UK
He’s a Muslim radical – they should annul his British passport and deport him anyway! It’s either that or he spends the rest of his life in prison. There is no other choice if Britain is to be safe from these radicals who incite violence.
Roy, they can’t annul his passport if he has one or not. He is just like you as you as far as citizenship is concerned and they can’t deport you either . The maximum sentence for his conviction is 10 years in prison the judge can’t sentence him to any more than that. Parliament set the maximum sentence when they passed the law.
John, whichever way it goes you must agree that men like this are a serious threat to the U.K.
I completely agree with you but the judges hands have been tied by Parliament. Those elected officials who don’t really have a clue about real life and are afraid to upset anyone in case at the next election they end up having to get a real job for a change.
I agree John, that is why Theresa May must make some changes to our legal system as soon as we get out of the E.U.Our system worked perfectly until we joined the Union and the Human Rights Commission got involved. They have destroyed our legal system to the extent where killers are being released after three or four years even though they get a ten year sentence. Even if Choudrey gets a ten year sentence he will be out in three or four. I hope we can go back to our original system before its too late.
Unfortunately leaving the EU will have no effect on the Human Rights Act that has nothing to do with the EU but was brought in by Blair and his Wife and to withdraw from that requires the UK government to leave the Human Rights Court and repeal the Act in Parliament a lot of people link this law to the EU in error
John I can’t agree with your last statement, because once we leave the E.U. we can renounce the E.U. Human Rights Act and install our own. There is already a draft within the government, and it only takes an act of Parliament to introduce it. The E.U. Human Rights Act has done more damage to this country than anything else, for we cannot even deport immigrant criminals. Look how long it took to get rid of Abu Hamsa and Abu Qatada – ten years!
Sorry John but I do not agree. Once we leave the E.U. we can introduce our own Act which is already in the process of being written. The E.U. Human Rights Act has had a devastating effect on this country. We cannot even deport immigrant criminals. Look how long it took us to get rid of Abu Hamsa and Abu Qatada – ten years!
Roy the Universal declaration of Human rights is a United Nations organisation which came into being after the 2nd world war on the 10th December 1948.The European convention of Human rights came into force on the 3rd September 1953, long before the European Union.The UK human rights act incorporated all the sections of The European convention of human rights into UK law so can only be repealed by parliament and will not be affected by leaving the EU. It was incorporated so that Human rights could be dealt with in British Courts so there was no need to go to the European Court of Human rights.It definitely has nothing to do with EU membership
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