Anjem Choudary: How di radical preacher of banned terror group al-Muhajiroun end up with life imprisonment

Anjem Choudary, di leader of the banned terror group al-Muhajiroun, don dey jailed for life and fit no ever comot prison alive.

Dem find am guilty of directing di group and encouraging support for am through online meetings.

Di sentence mean say Choudary no fit seek to comot jail on licence until e don dey more dan 85 years old.

Choudary bin appear to look shocked and bin dey shake im leg for di dock as dem give am a minimum term of 28 years for Woolwich Crown Court.

Di extremist preacher bin dey convicted last week for directing a terror organisation after one ogbonge operation wey involve detectives and investigators for di US, Canada and UK.

Mr Justice Wall say Choudary group na radical organisation wey bin intend to spread sharia law, by violent means, to as much of di world as possible.

Dem catch Choudary, one of di most notorious radicalisers for UK, after one international undercover investigation prove say di long-banned al-Muhajiroun network wey e bin dey head bin still dey operate in 2021 - and bin dey try to recruit new followers under a false name for North America.

Al-Muhajiroun, wey come out for di late 1990s, bin don dey linked to plenti acts of terrorism with followers wey commit acts of violence both at home and abroad.

Choudary bin don dey di centre of di organisation since im earliest days and become leader for 2014 after dem jail di founder for Lebanon.

Di 57-year-old imprisonment relate to im attempts to redevelop di network for 2021, after im release from a five-and-a-half year prison sentence for inviting im followers to support di Islamic State fighters for Syria.

After dem free am of dat sentence, Choudary begin dey hold online lectures with followers for North America.

But e no know say im online talks wey dey promote jihadist ideology bin don dey infiltrated by undercover officers from Canadian and US security services.

Mr Justice Wall say in approximately 30 lectures Choudary bin encourage members of di “Islamic Thinkers Society” - codename for di al-Muhajiroun network - to do argumentative street preaching and acts of violence.

“You disguise these talks as lessons in Islamic theology,” di judge tok, adding say Choudary know say members of di organisation go carry out acts of violence, whether or not e bin dey personally involved.

'E normalise violence'

“Organisations such as yours normalise violence in pursuit of ideological cause,” di judge tok.

“Dem dey build distance between people wey go otherwise live together in peaceful co-existence. Your behaviour no pure."

Turning to si group history, di judge say Choudary followers bin include Siddhartha Dhar, one key lieutenant, wey bin join di Islamic State group for Syria and murder im captives.

More recently, for 2023, two Birmingham brothers bin dey jailed after dem admit say dem bin plan to join di Islamic State group Afghanistan branch. One of dem, Muhammad Hamza Heyder Khan, bin specifically describe Choudary as inspiration.

“I dey sure say you go continue to preach your message of hate and division for future, you no be someone wey fit comot hand from dat mata,” di judge tok.

“Di dangers wey you pose dey for your organisational skills and skills as orator, I no fit at present foresee a time wen you go stop to be dangerous.”

Choudary co-accused, Canadian Khaled Hussein, wey dem find guilty of being a member of al-Muhajiroun, bin dey jailed for five years, with one additional year on a supervision licence after im release.

Earlier for di hearing, Paul Hynes KC, for Choudary, argue say whatever di jury verdict, al-Muhajiroun be nothing like al-Qaeda or Islamic State.

“We dey left with theological lectures wey no dey particularly accessible,” e tok.

“We no see say di court dey in a position... to conclude say Mr Choudary bin dey gather di masses. Na failed organisation.”