Muslim radio station which said it aired 25 hours of lectures 'by mistake' from Al Qaeda hate preacher who inspired Charlie Hebdo and Fort Hood attacks is closed down

• Hate preacher Anwar Al-Awlaki was killed in a US drone strike in Yemen in 2011 
• Iman FM, based in Sheffield, broadcast 25 hours of Al-Awlaki's sermons in June
• A complaint was made to Ofcom who suspended Iman FM's broadcast licence
• It has now been closed down after Ofcom said it was 'likely to encourage crime'

+3

Iman FM in Sheffield broadcast 25 hours of sermons from Anwar Al-Awlak (pictured), who was killed in a drone strike six years ago

A Muslim radio station which claimed it aired 25 hours of lectures from an Al Qaeda terror leader 'by mistake' has been closed down. 

Iman FM, based in Sheffield, put a series of readings by radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki on the air during Ramadan.   

The station, which had been broadcasting since October 2014, had its licence suspended on July 4 and revoked by Ofcom on Thursday.

It claimed that it was not aware of the background of al-Awlaki, who was killed in a US drone strike in Yemen in 2011.

He is said to have inspired the Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris, an attempt to blow up an American airliner and the massacre of 13 people at Fort Hood in Texas. 

Ofcom said Al-Awlaki, who was an American Muslim cleric of Yemeni descent, was an Al Qaeda leader, recruiter and trainer. 

The lectures were broadcast in English on June 14 and during one, Al-Awlaki said: 'Prepare whatever strength you have for holy war in the cause of Allah. This is a form of worship.'

The regulator said Iman FM was 'unfit' to hold a licence after displaying 'extremely reckless' conduct. 

Ofcom said the station had broadcast 'material likely to encourage or incite the commission of crime or to lead to disorder'. 

The watchdog said the material 'amounted to a direct call to action to members of the Muslim community to prepare for and carry out violent action against non-Muslim people'. 

It added the material 'clearly condoned and encouraged acts of crime, terrorism or violent behaviour'.

The service has been off-air since its licence was suspended and will not be reinstated, Ofcom added. 

Iman FM claimed to be unaware of the preacher's background and said not all the material was checked before being aired.

The Ofcom ruling described this defence as 'not credible'.

At the time, Mohammad Mughal, the station's chief executive, said: 'This is very, very sad because none of us had any idea this lecture was preaching hatred.

'We are not just a Muslim radio station – we regularly feature Christian presenters.'