Anjem Choudary, a radical Islamist preacher of British and Pakistani nationality, who was freed from prison some years ago, has been charged with terrorism-related offences in the United Kingdom.
Choudary will be produced before a court in London today.
The Metropolitan Police on Sunday had charged Choudary with the membership of a proscribed organisation, addressing meetings to encourage support for a proscribed organisation, and directing a terrorist organisation under different sections of the UK’s Terrorism Act 2000.
A 28-year-old Canadian national, Khaled Hussein, was arrested in a related counter-terrorism inquiry on charges of membership of a proscribed organisation.
What did the police say?
“On Monday, 17 July, Met counter-terrorism detectives investigating alleged membership of a proscribed organisation arrested a 56-year-old man in east London and a 28-year-old Canadian national at Heathrow Airport, after he arrived on a flight,” the Met Police said on Monday.
“They were held under Section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000 and detectives were granted warrants of further detention allowing them to detain the men until Monday, 24 July,” the statement added.
Both were remanded in custody after extended questioning, to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London on Monday.
Choudary, who was born in the UK, has been linked to various radical organisations including the now-banned Islamist group Al Muhajiroun.
He was released from London’s high-security Belmarsh prison back in 2018 where he was held after being convicted by the Old Bailey court in London in September 2016 for radical preaching and calling on Muslims to support the terrorist group ISIS.
(With PTI inputs)
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