Sunday, September 29, 2019

extremist preached jihad on a UK-based Islamic TV channel on Sky and Virgin despite being under house arrest with restricted internet access

An extremist preached jihad on a UK-based Islamic TV channel despite being under house arrest with restricted access to the phone and internet.
The man – a notorious lieutenant of infamous hate preacher Anjem Choudary – called Eman Channel, a station available on Sky and Virgin, on at least 18 occasions to take part in TV phone-ins.
During one telethon to raise funds for Rohingya Muslims forced out of Burma, he argued that the way to help the refugees was by using violence rather than charity.
‘The solution brothers… we must go to jihad,’ he told the telethon presenters. ‘Part of the charity, we must go to jihad.’
The calls were made while the extremist, who can be identified only as IM for legal reasons, was subject to a Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures (TPIM) order.
The man – a notorious lieutenant of infamous hate preacher Anjem Choudary (pictured above) – called Eman Channel, a station available on Sky and Virgin, on at least 18 occasions to take part in TV phone-ins
The man – a notorious lieutenant of infamous hate preacher Anjem Choudary (pictured above) – called Eman Channel, a station available on Sky and Virgin, on at least 18 occasions to take part in TV phone-ins
Under the TPIM he had to wear an electronic tag so his movements could be tracked, live in a police-designated house hundreds of miles from his home, adhere to a strict curfew, agree not to use the internet without permission and only make calls approved by the Home Office.
IM was a prominent figure in Al-Muhajiroun, the banned militant group led by Choudary. 
He also appeared in the Channel 4 documentary The Jihadis Next Door with Khuram Butt, the ringleader of the London Bridge terror attack in June 2017 that left eight dead. 
Youssef Zaghba, another of the London Bridge attackers, worked at Eman Channel in the months before the atrocity.
IM was placed on a TPIM in June 2016 after police found ‘extensive’ material relating to the terror group Islamic State on his laptop. The married father-of-five was relocated from his home in East London to East Anglia.
Details of seven breaches of the TPIM, including the inflammatory call to Eman Channel, emerged last week when IM appeared at the Old Bailey. 
The court heard how he called the station at 10.28pm on September 28, 2017 and, in an indication he was known to presenters, was referred to as ‘brother Abdullah’.
‘I do feel the passion in your voices for what’s happening, for the Muslims in Burma,’ IM said. ‘Absolute crisis and catastrophe where women are being raped.’
He added: ‘Now the solution for the woman being raped in Burma – is it a blanket or is it a man come along and defend her against that mushrik [idolater] Buddhist who is raping her?
‘That’s what I want to ask brother. The solution brothers… we must go to jihad. Part of the charity, we must go to jihad.’ 
The presenters hurriedly asked if he wanted to donate, before cutting him off.
The prosecution detailed IM’s other breaches, including accessing the internet without permission and failing to make appointed calls to a special Home Office phone line to establish he was in his home.
IM did not give evidence, but previously told police he did not intend to glorify jihad during his call to Eman Channel. 
He blamed illness for the missed calls to the Home Office. However, he was found guilty and Judge Anuja Dhir ordered him to be taken into custody to await a prison sentence.
Last night, a spokesman for Eman Channel said it could not recall IM’s call about jihad or anyone called ‘Abdullah’ who rang in on 18 occasions.
The station has previously been accused of allowing extremists to appear as guests. 
They include Haitham al-Haddad, a controversial preacher who has spoken in support of child marriage, and Moazzam Begg, the founder of Cage, an advocacy group that focuses on Muslims suspected of terrorist offences.
Eman Channel said it did not allow guests to make extremist comments.

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