Anjem Choudary jailed for life after being found guilty of running terrorist group

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Islamist preacher Anjem Choudary has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 28 years after being found guilty of running a banned terrorist organisation.

Choudary, who counter-terror police say has had a "radicalising impact" on terrorists, was convicted last week of taking a "caretaker role" in directing Al-Muhajiroun (ALM) while its founder was in jail.He was also found guilty of encouraging support for it through online lectures to the Islamic Thinkers Society (ITS), which prosecutors said was another name for ALM.It came after an investigation by the Metropolitan Police, the New York Police Department (NYPD) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.Choudary will spend more than 26 years in jail in total due to the time he has already spent in custody, meaning he will not be released before the age of 85, the judge said.Sentencing at Woolwich Crown Court on Tuesday, Mr Justice Mark Wall told Choudary he was "front and centre in running a terrorist organisation".The judge also said that he "encouraged young men into radical activity".

During the hearing, defence barrister Paul Hynes KC said that by the time Choudary had started directing ALM, it was "little more than a husk of an organisation" and he was not "gathering the masses to join". Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here.