UK radical Islamic preacher jailed for five-and-a-half years

From Aditi Khanna London, Sep 6 (PTI) Anjem Choudary, a "dangerous"Pakistani-origin radical Islamic preacher in the UK, was todayjailed for five-and-a-half years by a British court forencouraging support for the dreaded ISIS terror group. Choudary, 49, was convicted at the Old Bailey court inLondon in July and a judge today ruled that the "calculatingand dangerous" man should be locked up behind bars. The preacher, who had backed the ISIS in an oath ofallegiance published online, was imprisoned alongside his33-year-old aide Mohammed Rahman, also sentenced to five yearsand six months in prison. Choudary’s barrister Mark Summers had argued that hisclient regretted breaking the law and urged Justice Holroydenot to sentence him on the basis of his 20 years of notoriety,nor on claims he had indoctrinated "a generation of people tocommit direct acts of terrorism". However, the judge concluded a custodial sentence was agiven even as his supporters shouted "Allahu Akbar" from thepublic gallery at Old Bailey court. "You are free to hold your views but Parliament has madeit an offence to invite support for a proscribed organisation.The reason is obvious. A terrorist organisation with thesupport of many will be stronger than that with the support ofa few. You referred happily to the prospect of the ISIS flagflying over 10 Downing Street and the White House," the judgetold Choudary. The trial heard that the preacher, viewed by Britishsecurity services as a key force in radicalising youngMuslims, had been the "mouthpiece" of Omar Bakri Mohammed,currently in jail in Lebanon, and Mohammed Fachry, the head ofthe banned group in Indonesia. Commander Dean Haydon, head of Scotland Yard’s counter-terrorism command, said after his conviction had become publiclast month: "These men have stayed just within the law formany years, but there is no-one within the counter-terrorismworld that has any doubts of the influence that they have had,the hate they have spread and the people that they haveencouraged to join terrorist organisations. "Over and over again we have seen people on trial for themost serious offences who have attended lectures or speechesgiven by these men. The oath of allegiance was a turning pointfor the police – at last we had the evidence that they hadstepped over the line and we could prove they supported ISIS." Among Choudary’s followers was one of the five attackerswho stormed a cafe in Bangladesh capital Dhaka in July andkilled 22 people, including an Indian girl. All the attackerswere killed by security forces. Also, among his many UK followers is Indian-origin ISISfighter Siddhartha Dhar, dubbed as ‘Jihadi Sid’ by the UKmedia, believed to be among the senior commanders of the ISIS. The British Hindu, who converted to Islam and now goes bythe name Abu Rumaysah, had skipped police bail in the UK totravel to Syria with his wife and young children in 2014. PTIAK ZH AKJZH