Anjem Choudary returns to East London home after six months in bail hostel

HATE preacher Anjem Choudary has returned to his family home in East London after spending six months in a bail hostel.

The 52-year-old was pictured smiling as he shopped for sweets and topped up an electricity prepayment card. Choudary is believed to have returned home in the last fortnight and his release has sparked national security concerns.

Choudary was initially sentenced to five-and-a-half-year sentence but he spent only three years in prison and a further six months in the bail hostel.

Choudary led the al-Muhajiroun organisation, which was banned in the wake of the 7/7 attacks in London in 2005, but has operated under different names.

A source told The Daily Telegraph: “The group remains a threat to national security but the disruptions have been very effective.

“Choudary is now out and back at home. He is somebody who preferred to stay in the comfort of his home in London and encourage others to go and fight. He is a coward - his are not the actions of a warrior.”

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: “Public protection is our overriding priority when deciding whether an offender should be allowed to relocate from an approved premises.

“This would only be permitted following a robust risk assessment and they remain subject to close monitoring and strict licence conditions, which if breached can see them go back to prison.”