Radical Preacher Anjem Choudary Convicted Again in UK

Anjem Choudary speaks at a rally outside London's Regents Park mosque in April 2015 (AP)
Anjem Choudary speaks at a rally outside London's Regents Park mosque in April 2015 (AP)
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Radical Preacher Anjem Choudary Convicted Again in UK

Anjem Choudary speaks at a rally outside London's Regents Park mosque in April 2015 (AP)
Anjem Choudary speaks at a rally outside London's Regents Park mosque in April 2015 (AP)

Radical British preacher Anjem Choudary was found guilty Tuesday by a London jury of directing a terrorist group.

Born in the UK to parents of Pakistani descent, Choudary, 56, was convicted in London of directing the banned organization, al-Muhajiroun, or ALM, for a significant period of time from 2014 and for drumming up support for the group.

ALM was outlawed by the British government in 2010 as a group involved in committing, preparing for or promoting terrorism.

Choudary also encouraged support for the group by addressing online meetings of the Islamic Thinkers Society (ITS), the US branch of the group based in New York, prosecutors claimed.

Rebecca Weiner, NYPD deputy commissioner in charge of intelligence and counterterrorism, described Choudary as a “shameless, prolific radicalizer.” She called the case historic.
“It is usually the foot soldiers, the individuals who are brought into the network who go on to commit the attacks who are brought to justice. And it’s rarely the leader, which is what makes this a particularly important moment,” Weiner said.

Choudary, who was detained in east London on July 17 last year, will be sentenced on July 30.

During his trial, the radical British preacher said the ITS does not exist and that al-Muhajiroun organization was dismantled in 2004.

Londonistan

Choudary acted as one of the main representatives of the “Londonistan” circles that emerged in the British capital in the early 2000s.

His followers have been linked to numerous plots across the world.

The man became known to the authorities and the media through the demonstrations he organized in front of mosques, embassies and police stations in the UK.

Choudary said his ultimate goal was to hoist the flag of Islam over the British Prime Minister's office in Downing Street.

In 2016, he was sentenced for five years in prison for inviting support for ISIS and was released early in October 2018 but remained under observation for the remaining period.



Pakistani Security Forces Kill 9 Militants in a Raid near the Afghan Border

Pakistani security officials control the entrance to the capital of Balochistan province, as the opposition party Balochistan National Party (BNP-M) holds a march in Quetta, Pakistan, 06 April 2025. EPA/FAYYAZ AHMED
Pakistani security officials control the entrance to the capital of Balochistan province, as the opposition party Balochistan National Party (BNP-M) holds a march in Quetta, Pakistan, 06 April 2025. EPA/FAYYAZ AHMED
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Pakistani Security Forces Kill 9 Militants in a Raid near the Afghan Border

Pakistani security officials control the entrance to the capital of Balochistan province, as the opposition party Balochistan National Party (BNP-M) holds a march in Quetta, Pakistan, 06 April 2025. EPA/FAYYAZ AHMED
Pakistani security officials control the entrance to the capital of Balochistan province, as the opposition party Balochistan National Party (BNP-M) holds a march in Quetta, Pakistan, 06 April 2025. EPA/FAYYAZ AHMED

Pakistani security forces raided a militant hideout in the restive northwest near the Afghan border, killing nine militants, the military said Monday.

The military said in a statement that a high-value militant Shireen was among those insurgents killed in Dera Ismail Khan, a city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

All the militants who were killed were the "Khwarij,” a phrase the government uses for Pakistani Taliban, and Shireen was behind last month's killing of an army Capt. Hasnain Akhtar in a shootout in the region, the military said.

The Pakistani Taliban are known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP. The group is an ally of the Taliban in Afghanistan and has been emboldened since the Afghan Taliban seized power there in 2021.

Pakistan has witnessed a surge in militant attacks, most claimed by TTP.

Though Pakistan often conducts operations against the militants, the latest raid in Dera Ismail Khan came a day after troops killed eight militants in the northwestern North Waziristan district as they tried to cross the border with Afghanistan.