A London court has handed down a life sentence to British radical Islamist preacher, Anjem Choudary, with a minimum term of 28 years, for his role in directing a terrorist organization.
Anjem Choudary, the leader of the banned terror group, could spend the rest of his life behind bars.
According to BBC, on Tuesday, Anjem Choudary, whose followers have been implicated in various global plots, was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 28 years for directing a terrorist organization.
The court ruled that he cannot apply for release on license until he is over 85 years old.
Choudary, 57, was found guilty last week of leading al-Muhajiroun, a group banned over a decade ago as a terrorist organization, and of inciting others to support the proscribed group.
Choudary, who appeared visibly stunned as he received a minimum term of 28 years at Woolwich Crown Court, was convicted of directing the group and promoting its support through online meetings.
The sentencing followed a detailed international investigation involving authorities from the US, Canada, and the UK.
Mr Justice Wall described Choudary’s group as a radical organization aiming to impose sharia law through violence globally.
He stated that Choudary, a notorious radicalizer, was apprehended after it was revealed that al-Muhajiroun, despite being banned, was still active in 2021 and attempting to recruit followers in North America under a different name.
Al-Muhajiroun, established in the late 1990s, has been connected to numerous terrorist activities both domestically and internationally.
Choudary, who took over leadership of the group in 2014 after its founder was imprisoned in Lebanon, had been previously sentenced to five and a half years for encouraging support for Islamic State fighters in Syria.
After his release, Choudary resumed his activities, holding online lectures aimed at North American followers.
Unkown to him, these lectures were monitored by undercover officers from Canadian and US security services.
During approximately 30 lectures, Choudary was found to have incited acts of violence and confrontational street preaching under the guise of teaching Islamic theology.
Mr Justice Wall condemned Choudary’s actions, stating, “Organisations such as yours normalise violence in pursuit of an ideological cause,” and that his conduct was of the “highest culpability.”
The judge highlighted the impact of Choudary’s teachings, noting that his followers included individuals like Siddhartha Dhar, who joined the Islamic State in Syria and committed murders, and the Birmingham brothers jailed in 2023 for planning to join the Islamic State in Afghanistan.
The judge expressed doubt about Choudary’s potential for reform, stating, “I cannot at present foresee a time when you will cease to be dangerous.”
Choudary’s co-defendant, Canadian Khaled Hussein, was sentenced to five years in prison, with an additional year on supervised release.
Defense counsel Paul Hynes KC argued that despite the jury’s verdict, al-Muhajiroun was not comparable to groups like al-Qaeda or Islamic State, claiming that the group’s activities were largely theological and not significantly impactful.
