British Police on Wednesday charged radical Muslim preacher Anjem Choudary with inviting support for the Islamic State terror group, also known as ISIS and ISIL.
Forty-eight year old Choudary, a well known Muslim cleric and Islamic activist in U.K., and his follower Mizanur Rahman, 32, have been charged with inviting support for a proscribed terrorist organization (Islamic State) between June 29, 2014 and March 6, 2015, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said Wednesday.
"We have concluded that there is sufficient evidence and it is in the public interest to prosecute Anjem Choudary and Mohammed Rahmen for inviting support for ISIL, a proscribed terrorist organisation, between 29 June 2014 and 6 March this year. Each man is charged with one offence contrary to section 12 of the Terrorism Act 2000," Sue Hemming, head of special crime and counter terrorism at the CPS, said in a statement.
Anjem Choudary & Mohammed Rahman will face trial for terrorism offence of inviting support of ISIL, following investigation by @metpoliceuk
— CPS (@cpsuk) August 5, 2015
"It is alleged that Anjem Choudary and Mohammed Rahman invited support for ISIS in individual lectures which were subsequently published online," Hemming further said.
Choudary pleaded not guilty during a hearing at London's Westminster Magistrates Court on Wednesday afternoon.
"I will be pleading Cameron, police and the judges are guilty and the only people who are innocent here are me and Mr Rahman," he said while protesting his innocence after being charged, according to Telegraph.
It is not first time Choudary charged with terrorism offence. He along with Rahman arrested last year on suspicion of being members of a terror group, the Metropolitan Police said.
"On Thursday 25 September 2014 the suspects were arrested by the Met's Counter-Terrorism Command (SO15) on suspicion of being members of the proscribed organisation. They have remained on police bail throughout the investigation," the Metropolitan Police said in a statement.
Two men have been charged with inviting support for a proscribed terrorist organisation https://t.co/j4M0ZwvpQc pic.twitter.com/lZvcgD3ZEQ — Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) August 5, 2015
Choudary, a British citizen of Pakistani descent, is former chief of banned Islamist group al-Muhajiroun - also known as Islam4UK, according to BBC.
