British radical imam charged with supporting Islamic State
UK court rules cleric Anjem Choudary, 48, and Mohammed Mizanur Rahman, 32, encouraged backing for the terror group
British radical Muslim preacher Anjem Choudary was charged under anti-terror laws Wednesday with inviting support for the Islamic State group, prosecutors said.
Choudary, 48, and a second man, Mohammed Mizanur Rahman, 32, were charged with recruiting support for IS, a proscribed organization, between June 29, 2014 and March 6, 2015.
“Each man is charged with one offense contrary to section 12 of the Terrorism Act 2000,” said Sue Hemming, head of special crime and counter-terrorism at the Crown Prosecution Service.
“It is alleged that Anjem Choudary and Mohammed Rahman invited support for IS in individual lectures which were subsequently published online.”
Both men were arrested on September 25 last year on suspicion of being members of a proscribed organization and released on police bail.
They were detained again pending a formal charging hearing at a London court later Wednesday.
Choudary is a regular interview subject in the British media, for his views on Islam and the Middle East.