‘Historic’ MPS and international police counter-terrorism investigation leads to life sentence for radical preacher

The joint MPS and MI5 investigation into Choudary was assisted by the New York Police Department (NYPD) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

After a six-week trial at Woolwich Crown Court, Choudary, 58, of East London, was found guilty on July 23 of directing a terrorist organisation, membership of a proscribed organisation and encouraging support for a terrorist organisation.

Choudary was sentenced at the same court on Tuesday (July 30) to life imprisonment and ordered to serve a minimum of 28 years (less time already served on remand). Choudary will also be subject to notification requirements for 30 years.

Khaleed Hussein, 29, of Edmonton, Canada, was also found guilty of membership of a proscribed organisation. He was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment with an additional year on licence and will be subject to notification requirements for 15 years.

After passing the sentences, the judge commended officers in the UK, US and Canada for their work on this investigation.

Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the MPS’s Counter Terrorism Command, said: “These convictions come as a result of some truly remarkable work – not only here in the UK by Counter Terrorism police and our colleagues in MI5, but also from the incredibly brave work of undercover officers both in the US and Canada.

“The information and evidence we were able to gather, all while working closely with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), meant we were able to build a very strong case to prove Choudary was directing the Al-Muhajiroun (ALM) terrorist group and encouraging others to join them.

“I have no doubt that these convictions and the resulting sentences have left communities here in London, and also right across the UK and beyond, much safer.”

Assistant Commissioner Lisa Moreland, Regional Commander for the Northwest Region at the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, said: “This investigation is truly an example of how information, intelligence sharing and collaboration between countries is vital in stopping the spread of online extremism and radicalization.

“It serves as a reminder that extremism can take hold anywhere and that we must all remain vigilant.”

NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counter-terrorism Rebecca Ulam Weiner said: “Anjem Choudary spent decades radicalising individuals around the world and has now been brought to justice thanks to relentless collaboration across multiple agencies and countries.

“In today’s borderless world, public safety demands the level of teamwork that defined this historic investigation. The NYPD is deeply grateful to our partners at Counter Terrorism Policing, MI5, and RCMP for their tireless efforts that brought this case to its successful conclusion.”

In July 2021, licence conditions linked to Choudary’s previous terrorism conviction in 2016 expired, and officers became increasingly concerned that he would re-engage with terrorist activity.

The investigation into Choudary culminated in his arrest almost two years later. It was thanks to information provided to the CTC by colleagues from the NYPD and then also the RCMP that detectives in London were able to piece together evidence that Choudary was running and directing what was in-effect the banned terror group ALM via online lectures with followers based in New York.

CTC detectives were alerted to the fact Choudary was becoming involved in a group called the ‘Islamic Thinkers Society’ (ITS) when the NYPD contacted them in autumn 2021 in relation to an undercover investigation they were carrying out into ITS.

Detectives in the UK worked closely with colleagues from the NYPD to build a picture of the group and identify how Choudary was becoming increasingly involved.

In May 2022, CTC detectives were further contacted by colleagues in the RCMP, who were also investigating a Canadian called Khaled Hussein. An undercover officer from the RCMP was in touch with Hussein and had identified a further connection between Hussein and Choudary in London.

Evidence from Canada showed how Hussein was effectively acting as a personal assistant to Choudary. Hussein helped him host online lectures with other extremists and edited extremist online blogs and publications for Choudary.

Over the succeeding months, information, intelligence and evidence was gathered together by the investigation team, which built a picture that the ITS group in New York was a continuation and extension of the proscribed terrorist organisation ALM.

Crucial evidence was identified from both NYPD and RCMP undercover officers, which confirmed the explicit link between ALM and ITS. In one voice note sent to the Canadian officer, Hussein described ITS as “being Al-Muhajiroun”. Evidence from the NYPD officers also showed how Choudary was hosting and running lectures for the ITS group via encrypted platforms.

In the meantime, police and MI5 continued to gather other intelligence and evidence in the UK and officers also travelled to the US and Canada to ensure key evidence could be secured for use in the UK.

The MPS said in total, officers trawled through hundreds of hours of audio and video content and assessed more than 16,000 documents, working through more than a decade of material to identify and prove the links between ALM, ITS and Choudary.

“Among the audio content were covert recordings from Choudary’s address, where he was heard having conversations with his wife about being involved in ALM activity, and also captured a conversation between Choudary and Omar Bakri Muhammad – the former leader of ALM,” the MPS said.

“Bakri and Choudary discussed the activities of various people who had former links to ALM and crucially, Choudary also confirmed during one conversation that he had taken the role of leading ALM as its ‘caretaker emir’ in 2014 while Bakri had been imprisoned for terrorism offences in Lebanon.

“Evidence gathered by the investigation team also showed how, over the past decade, the ALM group had encouraged and assisted various people in joining and fighting for Daesh and that Choudary was now seeking to influence and radicalise a new generation of extremists and encourage them to go and support terrorist causes around the world.”

In July 2023, UK detectives became aware via the undercover RCMP officer that Hussein planned to visit Choudary in London, and officers moved to arrest the pair. Hussein was arrested on July 17, 2023 as he arrived on a flight into London from Canada with Choudary arrested earlier that morning.

After carrying out more inquiries while they were in police custody, the pair were charged on July 23, 2023. They were subsequently found guilty at Woolwich Crown Court.

Following the six-week trial, Bethan David, head of the CPS Counter Terrorism Division, said: “It is clear that both men were members of Al-Muhajiroun and both men had a radical mindset.

“Anjem Choudary was responsible for directing an international terrorist organisation and Hussain provided him support.

“This organisation has been banned in the UK since 2010 because of the danger it poses. Such extremist views are a threat to our society, and I am pleased the jury found him guilty of his crimes.

“The CPS will always seek to prosecute those who support and encourage terrorism.”