Anjem Choudary ‘ran risk of causing deaths of many people’ by directing terror

Anjem Choudary was told he risked causing the deaths of “very many people” as he was jailed for life with a minimum term of 28 years for running a banned terrorist organisation.

The 57-year-old, of Ilford, east London, was convicted last week of taking a caretaker role in directing Al-Muhajiroun (ALM) while its founder was in jail.

He was also found guilty of encouraging support for it through online lectures to the Islamic Thinkers Society (ITS), which prosecutors said was another name for ALM.

Sentencing him at Woolwich Crown Court on Tuesday, Mr Justice Mark Wall told “dangerous” Choudary, who stood in the dock motionless wearing a white t-shirt, that he will not be liable for parole until he is 85 years old.

The judge said: “Taken together, your actions while directing Al-Muhajiroun ran the risk of causing or contributing to the deaths of very many people.

“In addition, by running an organisation such as Al-Muhajiroun, you contributed in a significant way to the fear of terrorist attack by radical Islamic organisations which then existed in this country and abroad.

“You also helped to undermine the attempts of many good people to foster bonds between Muslims and people of other faiths and none who then lived in the United Kingdom.”

Mr Justice Wall described Choudary as an “intelligent man and a persuasive speaker” to those open to “messages of hate”, saying he possesses “great determination” in pursing his aims.

He went on: “You have no doubt as to the rectitude of your views. Your views are entrenched and abhorrent to most right-thinking people.”

The judge told of “chilling” trial evidence about Choudary’s denial of the holocaust and jokes about the 9/11 terror attacks.

He added: “I do not sentence you for holding those views, but the fact that you genuinely hold such extreme views coupled with your history of unlawful behaviour is an indication of the danger you pose into the future.

“I am sure that you will continue to preach your message of hate and division when or if you are given the opportunity to do so in the future.

“You are not someone who can be diverted from that course by any form of intervention.

“You pose a significant risk of causing serious harm to members of the public into the future by committing further specified offences such as this.”

The judge also told the Islamist preacher that organisations such as ALM “normalise violence in the pursuit of an ideological cause”, giving members “the courage to commit acts that otherwise they might not do”.

He went on: “They drive a wedge between people who would and could live together in peaceful co-existence.”

Choudary was “front and centre” in running ALM, the judge said, and he “sought to groom” young people into his way of thinking.

Mr Justice Wall added: “I do not conclude that you only targeted young people but you were prepared to encourage young men into radical activity and did so when you must have known that the appropriate course was to refuse to indoctrinate people of their ages.”

During the hearing, defence barrister Paul Hynes KC said that by the time Choudary had started directing ALM, it was “little more than a husk of an organisation” and he was not “gathering the masses to join”.

It came after an investigation by the Metropolitan Police, the New York Police Department (NYPD) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

ITS was infiltrated by undercover law enforcement officers in the US, who were present at online lectures in 2022 and 2023, held over the Element messenger platform.

ALM was proscribed as a terror organisation in the UK in 2010, though it was said in court the group has continued to exist under various names.

A senior security official said last week’s conviction was a “significant moment”, adding the evidence presented in court showed “Choudary’s continued involvement in supporting terrorism and radicalising others”.

Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Metropolitan Police’s counter-terrorism command, said: “There are individuals that have conducted terrorist attacks or travelled for terrorist purposes as a result of Anjem Choudary’s radicalising impact upon them.”

NYPD deputy commissioner Rebecca Weiner said it was a “historic case”, describing Choudary as a “shameless, prolific radicaliser”.

Ms Weiner said: “It is usually the foot soldiers, the individuals, who are brought into the network who go on to commit the attacks who are brought to justice.

“And it’s rarely the leader, which is what makes this a particularly important moment.”

Prosecutor Tom Little KC, opening the trial at Woolwich Crown Court on June 13, said Choudary had a “warped and twisted mindset”.

Omar Bakri Muhammad, who founded ALM, was in prison in Lebanon between 2014 and March 2023, and Choudary stepped in and “filled the void”, Mr Little said.

In 2016, Choudary was convicted and jailed for five-and-a-half years for supporting the so-called Islamic State.

The court heard that Choudary, whose licence conditions expired in July 2021 following his 2018 release from prison, said he viewed being called an extremist or fanatic as a “medallion” during lectures.

Khaled Hussein, 29, from Canada, who prosecutors said was a “follower and dedicated supporter” of Choudary, was found guilty of membership of ALM.

He was jailed for five years with an extra year on licence.

The judge told him: “I am sure that you were in awe of Anjem Choudary and became involved in this offence partly because of his influence over you.

“However, I am equally sure that you knew full well what you were getting involved in and were anxious to become ever more deeply involved in it.

“I have regard to the fact that the organisation of which you became a part was not proscribed in Canada, where you lived.

“However, it is clear from the evidence at trial that you were aware of the nature of the organisation of which you became a part and its status in the United Kingdom which made it difficult for those such as Anjem Choudary to participate openly in its activities.”

Evidence showed how Hussein was effectively acting as a personal assistant to Choudary, helping to host online lectures and editing extremist online blogs and publications for him.

Defence barrister Hossein Zahir KC argued Hussein was a “wholly inactive” member.

Choudary was arrested in east London on July 17 last year while Hussein, from Edmonton, was detained at Heathrow Airport, having arrived on a flight the same day.

Scotland Yard said Hussein had planned to visit Choudary.