Anjem Choudary, the Islamist preacher, has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 28 years for directing the banned terrorist organisation al-Muhajiroun (ALM). The judge, Mr Justice Wall, stated that he could not foresee a time when Choudary would cease to be dangerous.
Choudary, 57, from Ilford, east London, was convicted last week at Woolwich Crown Court of having a 'caretaker role' in directing ALM from 2014, after its founder Omar Bakri Muhammad was imprisoned in Lebanon. He also encouraged support for the group by addressing online meetings of the New York-based Islamic Thinkers Society (ITS), which the judge described as a veil behind which ALM operated.
The judge said Choudary's views were 'entrenched and abhorrent' and that his actions risked causing or contributing to many deaths. He noted that Choudary's denial of the Holocaust and jokes about the 9/11 attacks demonstrated his extreme views and the danger he posed. Choudary will not be eligible for release before the age of 85, and the judge said even then he would need 'the most cogent evidence of a change of mindset' to be freed.
Choudary's 2016 conviction for supporting Islamic State had ended his seeming impunity. After his release on licence in 2018, he resumed his activities, hosting about 30 online lectures for ITS from June 2022. Undercover officers from the US, UK, and Canada infiltrated the group, leading to his conviction. Khaled Hussein, 29, from Canada, was jailed for five years for membership of ALM.
