Ilford radical preacher Anjem Choudary guilty of terror offences

Anjem Choudary has been convicted of three offences today (July 23) following a six-week trial at Woolwich Crown Court.

The 57-year-old radical preacher was found guilty of directing a terrorist organisation, membership of a proscribed organisation, and encouraging support for a terrorist organisation. 

It follows his arrest on July 17, 2023, at his home address after an investigation by the Met, MI5, and police forces in New York and Canada revealed he was running and directing Al-Muhajiroun (ALM). 

Anjem Choudary was arrested at his home address after international investigators turned up a catalogue of evidence against him (Image: Metropolitan Police) In the autumn of 2021, the New York City Police Department (NYPD) alerted UK officers to a group called the Islamic Thinkers Society (ITS) that Choudary was becoming involved with. 

The NYPD had been running an undercover investigation of its own when the link was revealed. 

Counter Terrorism Command detectives received further intel in May 2022 from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) who were conducting their own investigation into Khaleed Hussein of Edmonton, Canada. 

A connection between Hussein and Choudary in London was exposed after an undercover officer at the RCMP was in contact with the Canadian. 

Evidence was produced pointing to Hussein's actions as an effective personal assistant to Choudary, helping him host lectures with other extremists and editing extremist blogs on his behalf.

After months-long investigations, detectives believed to suspect that the ITS group in New York was covering as a continuation and extension of the banned Al-Muhajiroun terror group. 

NYPD and RCMP undercover officers were able to confirm the link in a voice note sent from Hussein to an undercover Canadian officer describing ITS as "being Al-Muhajiroun (ALM)". 

Choudary was found to be hosting and running ITS lectures for groups on encrypted platforms. 

More than a decade's worth of evidence was combed through to solidify the links between ALM, ITS, and Choudary. 

This included covert recordings from the radical preacher's home address, capturing conversations with his wife about his involvement in the group.

Other recordings captured a conversation between Choudary and Omar Bakri Muhammad, former leader of Al-Muhajiroun. 

In one conversation, Choudary said that he had taken of the role of leading ALM as "its caretaker emir" in 2014 whilst Bakri was imprisoned in Lebanon for terror offences. 

Officers discovered that work by the ALM group for a decade had encouraged and assisted numerous people in joining and fighting for Daesh, also known as ISIL or ISIS. 

Choudary was found in evidence to have sought to "influence and radicalise a new generation of extremists, and encourage them to go and support terrorist causes around the world".

In July 2023, undercover RCMP officers told UK detectives that Hussein was planning to meet Choudary in London. 

Khaleed Hussein was arrested last year when he landed in the UK on a flight from Canada (Image: Metropolitan Police) The 29-year-old was arrested on July 17, 2023, as he arrived in the UK on a flight from Canada.

He has also been convicted of membership of a proscribed organisation. 

The pair were charged on July 23, 2023, and are next due at Woolwich Crown Court on July 30 for sentencing. 

Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met's Counter Terrorism Command, 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.

“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.”