Radical British preacher Anjem Choudary was found guilty by a jury in London on Tuesday of leading a terrorist group, the radical Muslim group Al-Muhajiroun (ALM), also known as the Islamic Thinkers Society.
One of his followers, Khaled Hussein, 29, of Edmonton, was convicted of membership in a banned organization. Prosecutors said he was a dedicated supporter of ALM.
Both men were arrested a year ago after Hussein landed at Heathrow Airport.
Al-Muhajiroun was banned by the British government in 2010 for being involved in the commission, preparation or promotion of terrorism.
During the trial, the British court heard that Hussein had been a member of Al-Muhajiroun for at least two years and was in close contact with Choudary, and “effectively worked for him”.
After the verdict, RCMP Asst. Commissioner Lisa Mooreland said Hussein’s role was to create propaganda for the group, “essentially writing these documents under pseudonyms and distributing them to the global community.”
To do that, she said, Hussein must be directed by a higher authority within the organization, which is why prosecutors emphasized his relationship with Choudary.
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“ALM’s tentacles have spread across the globe and have had a huge impact on public safety and security,” said Metropolitan Police Cmdr. Dominic Murphy. “There are individuals who have committed terrorist acts or travelled for terrorist purposes as a result of Anjem Choudary’s radicalising impact on them.”
Murphy also said this case is a good example of how counterterrorism works across borders. Law enforcement in the U.S. and Canada worked together on the investigation.
Mooreland said that’s important when you’re trying to protect public safety. “As countries, we all have our physical borders, but as the internet has progressed and we’ve gone through social media platforms, we’ve realized that physical borders are no longer borders for us,” she said.
Choudary, who was previously convicted of supporting the Islamic State, denied during the trial that he promoted ALM through his lectures. He said ALM no longer exists.
Prosecutor Tom Little, who described Choudary as having a “twisted and distorted mentality”, said he took over leadership of ALM after Omar Bakri Muhammad, the group’s founder, was imprisoned in Lebanon between 2014 and March 2023.
The verdict is scheduled for July 30.