UK hate preacher Anjem Choudary arrested in counter-terrorism operation

A father of five, Anjem Choudary previously made headlines for hosting a pro-Osama bin Laden event in London in 2011.

Anjem Choudary, a Pakistani-British hate preacher with a history of extremist activity, was arrested early Monday in London on suspicion of terrorism offences, police say.

The Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Unit detained Choudary at his residence in Ilford and has since been questioned in west London. The arrest was made based on allegations that Choudary was linked to a banned organization, although the specific group was not disclosed.

As part of Choudary’s investigation, a Canadian national was also arrested at Heathrow Airport on Monday afternoon by counter-terrorism units. Police did not provide further details regarding the relationship between the Canadian individual and Choudary.

Choudary and the Canadian suspect were arrested on suspicion of being members of a banned organization, which breached Section 11 of the Terrorism Act 2000. They are currently being held under Section 41 of the same Act at a west London police station. Investigations are ongoing and three addresses in east London are being sought in connection with the operation.

Anjem Choudary, who featured prominently in Arab News’ “Preachers of Hate” series, has long been recognized as one of Britain’s most notorious extremists. He has been associated with hate groups such as Al-Muhajiroun, which was banned by the British government after the September 11 attacks in New York and the July 7, 2005 bombings in London.

Choudary’s extremist views include hailing the 9/11 attacker as a “tremendous martyr.” In September 2016, he was convicted in Britain of encouraging Muslims to join Daesh (also known as Daesh) and sentenced to five and a half years in prison. However, he served less than half of his sentence.

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Madeline Weber

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