Britain's Islamic preacher charged with 'inviting support' for ISIS
Anjem Choudary, one of Britain's best-known radical Islamist preachers, was charged Wednesday with encouraging support for the Islamic State, as Britain puts its new antiterror policy to test.
Mr. Choudary was charged alongside an associate, Mohammed Mizanur Rahman, with聽 鈥渂etween June 29, 2014, and March 6 of this year,鈥� according to Sue Hemming, head of special crime and counterterrorism at the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).聽
鈥淚t is alleged that Anjem Choudary and Mohammed Rahman invited support for ISIS [The Islamic State] in individual lectures which were subsequently published online,鈥� Mrs. Hemming said.
Choudary has long been a source of frustration and anger for British officials for encouraging extremist ideas. According to , at least 70 people with ties to Choudary or his organizations have been implicated in terrorism cases, but British authorities have not been able to gather solid evidence against him.
Mr. Choudary was aware that he is under investigation by CPS. On Aug. 3, he wrote on his Twitter account:聽
Both Choudhary and聽 were arrested聽 on suspicion of being members of the Islamic State. Choudary after a day.
Born in the UK to Pakistani parents, Choudary is the former UK head of Islamist group al-Muhajiroun, which was banned in 2010.
Even though he has led various radical groups that were later banned, Choudary has never been convicted of anything beyond organizing an unlawful demonstration,聽.
A lawyer by training, Choudary has a reputation for knowing how to stay on the right side of the law.
鈥淭hese guys are very good at knowing where the limits of the law lie,鈥� Richard Barrett, a former counterterrorism director with Britain鈥檚 foreign intelligence service, MI6,聽 in October 2014. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e also very slick, very plausible, and very persuasive.鈥�
More than 700 Britons are thought to have traveled to Syria and Iraq to join the Islamic State,聽.
Choudary has always denied allegations that he has actively supported acts of terrorism or encouraged people to fight for the Islamic State.
鈥淭here鈥檚 no evidence that he鈥檚 directly implicated in these plots,鈥� Nick Lowles, Hope Not Hate鈥檚 chief executive, told The Washington Post last October. 鈥淏ut he gives the ideological justification for jihad, for war against the West.鈥�
In June 2013, Scotland Yard Assistant Commissioner Cressida Dick said they were 鈥溾�� whether any of Choudary鈥檚 speeches or outbursts have broken the law.
This time the move against Choudary comes amid Prime Minister David Cameron鈥檚 vow to tackle Islamic extremists .
On July 20 Mr. Cameron said the new strategy would allow officials to confront groups and organizations that might not advocate violence but do.
He also added that it is not enough for groups to condemn the Islamic State. 鈥淚 find it remarkable that some groups say 'We don鈥檛 support ISIL [The Islamic State]' as if that alone proves their anti-extremist credentials. And let鈥檚 be clear, Al Qaeda don鈥檛 support ISIL,鈥澛�. 鈥淪o we can鈥檛 let the bar sink to that level. Condemning a mass-murdering, child-raping organization cannot be enough to prove you鈥檙e challenging the extremists."
