Radical Islamic preacher Anjem Choudary released from custody

_77811172_68741719Radical preacher Anjem Choudary has been released from police custody after being arrested on suspicion of being a member of a banned terrorist group.

He was one of nine men held on Thursday as part of a Met Police inquiry into Islamist-related terrorism.

Mr Choudary, 47, was questioned at Southwark Police Station in London.

Abu Izzadeen, 39, of London, also known as Trevor Brookes, was charged with breaching a notification requirement under counter-terrorism legislation.

He will appear in custody at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Saturday.

Mr Choudary is one of eight men, aged between 22 and 51, who have been bailed to return to central London police stations in January.
Property searched

Speaking to the BBC, Mr Choudary said his bail restrictions included a ban on foreign travel and public preaching.

He described his arrest as “politically motivated”, in order to silence him on the eve of the Parliamentary vote on military intervention in Iraq.

Mr Choudary said he had been questioned about organisations that he was formerly involved with before they were banned under terrorism legislation. His brother was released alongside him.

Mr Choudary is the former UK head of the Islamist group al-Muhajiroun or Islam4UK, which was banned in 2010.

Two men, aged 33 and 42, who were arrested in the early hours of Friday on the M6 motorway near Rugby, remain in custody at a central London police station.

Scotland Yard said their officers had searched several residential, business or community premises.

Three of the searches are ongoing.

  Source : BBC


Radical Islamic Preacher : Anjem Choudary held in London terror raids

Ashwin Shuklapaksha Chaturthi, Kaliyug Varsha 5116

Nine men, including the radical Islamist preacher Anjem Choudary, have been arrested in London on suspicion of being members of a banned organisation.

Officers are searching 18 premises in London and one in Stoke-on-Trent.

The Met Police said it was part of an ongoing inquiry into Islamist-related terrorism and not in response to any immediate threat to the public.

Mr Choudary is the former UK head of the Islamist group al-Muhajiroun or Islam4UK, banned in the UK in 2010.

The arrested men, aged between 22 and 51, are being held at police stations in central London.

Analysis

Anjem Choudary is a deeply controversial Islamic figure, a man who many Muslims despise because they believe he causes enormous damage to their position in British society.

Alongside another now-banned cleric, he once spearheaded al-Muhajiroun, a group that argued that the West is fighting a war against Muslims and Islam.

When the government banned the group, some of its former members founded new organisations, including Islam4UK and Muslims Against Crusades – which were also later banned.

The latter group’s protests against British soldiers returning from Afghanistan, led to counter-protests and the subsequent formation of the English Defence League.

Mr Choudary has always denied allegations that he has either incited or glorified acts of terrorism.

In a statement the Met said the men were being held on suspicion of being members of a proscribed organisation, supporting a proscribed organisation contrary to Section 11 and 12 of the Terrorism Act 2000 and encouraging terrorism, contrary to Section 1 of the Terrorism Act 2006.

Police said a number of residential, business and community premises are being searched; 11 in east London, one in west London, one in north-west London and five in south London.

A residential property is also being searched in Stoke-on-Trent.

The arrests were carried out by the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command (SO15).

 Source : BBC