Anjem Choudary: Ban on radical preacher's public speaking comes to end

RADICAL cleric Anjem Choudary's ban on speaking in public is being lifted as the licence conditions- which were imposed after his release from prison in 2018 - are set to expire.

Choudary, from Ilford in east London, was jailed for five-and-a-half years in 2016 after being convicted of inviting support for the Islamic State terror group. 

He headed a now-banned group,  Al-Muhajiroun (ALM), a banned extremist group that promoted a radical view of Islam. He was also a spokesman for another radical Islamic group that operated in the UK and was later proscribed as terrorist organization under the country' counter terrorism laws. 

The father-of-five was freed automatically half-way in 2018 but along with a string of strict licence conditions, which included a ban on public speaking and talking to the media. 

His internet and mobile phone use was also restricted and he was banned from being in contact with people who may be suspected of extremist-related offences without prior approval. The conditions are now set to expire. 

The activist and former solicitor had to wear an electronic tag and abide by a night-time curfew, only attend pre-approved mosques and stay within a set area, as well as adhere to other standard requirements, like having regular meetings with probation officers.

Separate measures also enabled his name to be added to a UN sanctions list, which meant he was banned from travelling and had assets frozen.

Born to Pakistani immigrant parents, Choudary has been a prominent figure in ALM since the 1990s. Over 20 years he voiced controversial views on Sharia law while building up a following of thousands through social media, demonstrations and lectures around the world.

While there has been no suggestion yet that Choudary organised any attack, names like Michael Adebolajo- one of the murderers of Fusilier Lee Rigby- and Khuram Butt- the ringleader of the London Bridge terror attack- are associated with ALM.

During his teenage years, the Fishmongers’ Hall attacker Usman Khan also said to have taken an interest in Choudary’s views while Muslim convert Lewis Ludlow, who plotted a terror attack on Oxford Street, had reportedly attended a demonstration led by Choudary and the ALM group.