Radical preacher Anjem Choudary has suffered a significant legal defeat after the Court of Appeal dismissed his attempt to overturn a life sentence for leading a banned terror group. The 59-year-old extremist, known for radicalising killers including those responsible for the murder of Lee Rigby, was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2024 with a minimum tariff of 28 years. The judges have firmly upheld this decision.
Lord Justice Edis and his panel described Choudary’s appeal as “unarguable” and rejected it outright. They characterised his crimes as being of “exceptional gravity, persistence and duration,” leaving no possibility for early release.
Co-defendant Khaled Hussein, aged 31, who received a sentence of five years plus a licence period for supporting the terror group Al-Muhajiroun (ALM), also had his appeal dismissed. The judges emphasised that Hussein was “actively supporting” ALM’s extremist agenda rather than being an innocent bystander.
Al-Muhajiroun: The Terror Group’s Dark Legacy
Founded in the late 1990s, Al-Muhajiroun was banned in the UK in 2010 but continued to operate under different names such as the Saved Sect. Omar Bakri Muhammad, the original leader of ALM, fled to Lebanon in 2005, passing control to Anjem Choudary. The group has been linked to at least 16 terror plots, and its members have fought for ISIS in Syria. Notorious extremist Siddhartha Dhar appeared in a chilling ISIS execution video in 2016.
Choudary’s Toxic Trail of Terror
Anjem Choudary was closely connected to multiple terrorists, including the killers of Lee Rigby, London Bridge attacker Khuram Butt, and Fishmongers’ Hall bomber Usman Khan. The preacher once praised the 9/11 attacks as a “towering day in history,” while his predecessor Omar Bakri Muhammad described the 7/7 bombers as the “fantastic four.” Crown Prosecutor Tom Little KC revealed that Choudary attempted to revive ALM after serving a jail term in 2016. Within a year, he delivered over 40 radical lectures and groomed children as young as 14 through encrypted WhatsApp and Telegram chats.
No Chance of Early Release – Choudary to Die in Prison
With his appeal firmly rejected, Anjem Choudary’s life sentence remains unchanged. He will not be eligible for parole until at least the age of 85, which effectively means he will spend the rest of his life in prison. Justice Mr Wall condemned Choudary’s views as “entrenched and abhorrent to most right-thinking people.” Despite defence claims of an unfair trial, the judges upheld the evidence and sentence as both just and necessary.
The British courts have sent a clear message: Anjem Choudary’s poisonous influence will never be tolerated or left unchecked.
Originally published by UKNIP.
