Radical Muslim preacher, Anjem Choudary, has been convicted by a UK court of directing Islamic terrorist group, al-Muhajiroun (ALM).
Choudary (57), who was previously invited to speak at Trinity College Dublin by the university’s Philosophical Society, now faces a life sentence after being convicted today of occupying a “caretaker role” in the Islamist group.
He was also found guilty of membership of a proscribed terrorist organisation and encouraging support for a prescribed terrorist organisation after a trial which took place at Woolwich Crown Court, UK.
Choudary was still acting as the leader of al Muhajirou as late as July 2023 and was making online speeches to a US-based offshoot known as the Islamic Thinkers Society (ITS).
The investigation saw officers trawl through hundreds of hours of audio and video content and assess over 16,000 documents to establish links between al-Muhajiroun and ITS.
His convictions are the result of operations to infiltrate the terrorist organisation by authorities in the UK, Canada, and the USA.
Choudary previously said that Ireland could be a target for Islamic terrorists because of the US military’s use of Shannon saying, “You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to work out that if you’re allowing your soil to be used for sorties, bombings, then some Muslims are going to see you as collaborators.”
The court heard that Choudary, of Ilford, east London, directed the group for a significant period after 2014 and that he had encouraged support for it by addressing online meetings.
The group then known as Al Ghurabaa was banned by the UK government in 2006.
After a name change, al-Muhajiroun was also prescribed as a terror organisation by UK authorities in 2010 but continued to exist under various names while recruiting individuals for the purposes of establishing a Sharia law-led Islamic caliphate in the west.
Choudary has previously been jailed for encouraging support for the Islamic State in 2016, but was released in 2018.
A supporter of Choudary, Canadian national Khaled Hussein, 29, was also found guilty of being a member of al-Muhajiroun.
British police called the convictions “historic” in the country’s history of counter terrorism operations.
The head of of the Met Police’s Counter Terrorism Command, Dominic Murphy said, “These convictions come as a result of some truly remarkable work – not only here in the UK by Counter Terrorism police and our colleagues in MI5, but also from the incredibly brave work of undercover officers both in the US and Canada.”
“The information and evidence we were able to gather, all while working closely with the Crown Prosecution Service, meant we were able to build a very strong case to prove Choudary was directing the ALM terrorist group and encouraging others to join them.
“Choudary, in particular, is now facing a significant sentence. I have no doubt that these convictions have left communities here in London, but also right across the UK and beyond, much safer.” Murphy said.
Assistant Commissioner Lisa Moreland, Regional Commander for the Northwest Region at the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said,“This investigation is truly an example of how information and intelligence sharing and collaboration between countries is vital to stopping the spread of online extremism and radicalization.
“It serves as a reminder that extremism can take hold anywhere and that we must all remain vigilant.” she added.
New York City Police Department (NYPD) Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counterterrorism Rebecca Ulam Weiner said, “Anjem Choudary spent decades radicalising individuals around the world and has now been brought to justice thanks to relentless collaboration across multiple agencies and countries.
“In today’s borderless world, public safety demands the level of teamwork that defined this historic investigation. The NYPD is deeply grateful to our partners at Counter Terrorism Policing, MI5, and RCMP for their tireless efforts that brought this case to its successful conclusion.”
Both men are to be sentenced on the 30th of July.