A British court has sentenced radical Islamist preacher Anjem Choudary to life in prison. Last week, the court convicted Choudary, 57, for directing a terrorist group. He had long been on the security services’ watch for fuelling terrorism and recruiting a new generation of terrorists in the West. The Woolwich Crown Court on Tuesday sentenced Choudary for life. He will have to serve at least 28 years behind bars and may never leave jail alive as he would be eligible for parole only after he turns 85. Previously, Choudary was jailed in 2016 on a five-and-a-half-year term for terrorism but was released in 2018 after serving around half of the term. Choudary’s co-accused Khaled Hussein, 29, was also held guilty for being a member of a banned organization. The court sentenced him to five years in jail.
Who is Anjem Choudary, UK’s notorious preacher? Choudary is the most notorious radical Islamist preacher in the United States. Even though he has been active in Islamist activities since the 1990s, Choudary first made the waves in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks when he praised the terrorists. He had also announced the intention to convert the Buckingham Palace, the seat of the British monarch, into a mosque. Choudary was the leader of Al-Muhajiroun, a proscribed terrorist organization he founded in 1996. He was central to its operations for nearly 30 years. He ran it under names like Islam4UK and Muslims Against Crusades, according to Sky News. Choudary became Al-Muhajiroun’s leader in 2014 after the previous leader and fellow radical Islamist preacher Omar Bakri Mohammed was jailed in Lebanon in 2014. Bakri Muhammad had hailed the 7/7 bombers as “fantastic four”. The 7/7 bombings refer to four suicide bombings in London on July 7, 2005, that killed at least 52 people and injured more than 770, according to the British police. The bombers had struck the London underground trains and bus. Mark Wall, the judge who convicted and sentenced Choudary, said that Chaudary’s group Al-Muhajiroun intended to spread Sharia law, the Islamic law, by violent means to as much of the world as possible, according to BBC News.
Anjem Choudary linked to 21 acts of terror Choudary and his associates at Al-Muhajiroun have been linked to at least 21 different terrorist plots, according to Sky News. Choudary and the Al-Muhajiroun have also been held guilty for inspiring people to join other terrorist groups like the ISIS in the Middle East. In 2023, one of the two brothers from England’s Birmingham, who were jailed for planning to join ISIS in Afghanistan, said Choudary was his inspiration. One of his lieutenants was Abu Rumaysah al-Britani, a converted Muslim who was previously named Siddhartha Dhar. Abu Rumaysah was a member of ISIS and was infamous for his cruelty and was called ‘Jihadi Sid’. Choudary himself was an associate of Woolwich killer Michael Adebolajo, London Bridge terrorist Khuram Butt, and Fishmongers’ Hall attacker Usman Khan, according to Sky News. In 2022, Choudary said in an online lecture that jihad was the obligation of Muslims. Choudary also encouraged followers to “fight the crusaders” and told them last year that “there’s no doubt, jihad is obliged upon us”, according to Sky News. “Is terrorism part of the deen [faith]? Yes, even more – horrifying is part of the deen, even to horrify the people,” said Choudary in another lecture.
How was Choudary convicted & sentenced After being released in 2018, Choudary began giving online lectures to spread terrorist ideologies and recruit terrorists. His online operations were infiltrated by an undercover operation of the British, American, and Canadian security services. Choudary gave approximately 30 lectures and encouraged members of the ‘Islamic Thinkers Society’, a codename for his terrorist group Al-Muhajiroun, into confrontational street preaching and acts of violence, according to the judgement cited by BBC. In his ruling, Judge Wall said that organizations like Al-Muhajiroun “normalise violence in support of an ideological cause”. “Their existence gives individuals who are members of them the courage to commit acts which otherwise they might not do. They drive wedges between people who otherwise could and would live together in peaceful coexistence,” said Wall. Sentencing him to life, Wall said that Choudary is a kind of person who could not be reformed. “I am sure you will continue to preach your message of hate and division in the future, you are not someone who can be diverted from that course. The dangers you pose are in your organisational skills and skills as an orator, I cannot at present foresee a time when you will cease to be dangerous,” said Wall.
