SIX JAILED FOR SUPPORTING TERROR !
Six men convicted of supporting terrorism through speeches at a London mosque have been handed jail terms.
Among them is Muslim preacher Abu Izzadeen, who was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison.
The speeches, on 9 November 2004, came as US and British forces fought fierce battles in Falluja, Iraq.
The sentencing was delayed after one of the guilty men, who had jumped bail for 10 days, turned himself in.
Shah Jalal Hussain, 25, surrendered at Kingston Crown Court after he went missing when the jury began deliberations on 8 April, prompting the court to issue a warrant for his arrest.
He was convicted of terrorist fundraising and breaking his bail conditions and jailed for two years and three months.
The defendants were all members of an extreme Islamist group known as Al-Muhajiroun, which has since been banned.
Abu Izzadeen, 32, from east London, was tried under his real name, Omar Brooks. He was sentenced to two-and-a-half years for fundraising and four-and-a-half years for inciting terrorism overseas. His sentences will run concurrently.
Izzadeen made the news in 2006 when he heckled then Home Secretary John Reid during a speech in London's East End.
In November 2004, Izzadeen was recorded voicing his support for al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden and calling for a jihad-style war against coalition forces occupying Iraq.
Judge Nicolas Price told the defendants that, while freedom of speech was a central tenet of democracy, they had "abused" those rights in promoting terrorism.
He said Izzadeen and fellow Muslim convert Simon Keeler, 36, were "leading lights" of terrorism fund-raising and support.
Keeler, 36, received the same sentence as Izzadeen - two and a half years for terrorism fund-raising and four and a half for inciting terror overseas.
Judge Price singled out Izzadeen, calling him "arrogant, contemptuous and utterly devoid of any sign of remorse".
He also questioned Izzadeen's motives, saying: "I am left in no doubt that your speeches were used by you as self-aggrandisement and not as an expression of sincerely held religious views."
Abdul Saleem, 32, was sentenced to three years and nine months for inciting terrorism overseas and Ibrahim Hassan, 25, was jailed for two years and nine months on the same charge.
Both men were cleared of fund-raising for terrorists.
Abdul Muhid, 25, was found guilty of fund-raising for terrorists, and sentenced to two years in jail.
The allegations at the heart of the trial concerned events on the evening of 9 November 2004 when Hussain and others were said to have targeted rising anger among Muslims over the Iraq war.
Kingston Crown Court heard that speeches and calls for funds were made both inside and outside the London Central Mosque at Regent's Park, despite the opposition of the institution's authorities.
Among them is Muslim preacher Abu Izzadeen, who was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison.
The speeches, on 9 November 2004, came as US and British forces fought fierce battles in Falluja, Iraq.
The sentencing was delayed after one of the guilty men, who had jumped bail for 10 days, turned himself in.
Shah Jalal Hussain, 25, surrendered at Kingston Crown Court after he went missing when the jury began deliberations on 8 April, prompting the court to issue a warrant for his arrest.
He was convicted of terrorist fundraising and breaking his bail conditions and jailed for two years and three months.
The defendants were all members of an extreme Islamist group known as Al-Muhajiroun, which has since been banned.
Abu Izzadeen, 32, from east London, was tried under his real name, Omar Brooks. He was sentenced to two-and-a-half years for fundraising and four-and-a-half years for inciting terrorism overseas. His sentences will run concurrently.
Izzadeen made the news in 2006 when he heckled then Home Secretary John Reid during a speech in London's East End.
In November 2004, Izzadeen was recorded voicing his support for al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden and calling for a jihad-style war against coalition forces occupying Iraq.
Judge Nicolas Price told the defendants that, while freedom of speech was a central tenet of democracy, they had "abused" those rights in promoting terrorism.
He said Izzadeen and fellow Muslim convert Simon Keeler, 36, were "leading lights" of terrorism fund-raising and support.
Keeler, 36, received the same sentence as Izzadeen - two and a half years for terrorism fund-raising and four and a half for inciting terror overseas.
Judge Price singled out Izzadeen, calling him "arrogant, contemptuous and utterly devoid of any sign of remorse".
He also questioned Izzadeen's motives, saying: "I am left in no doubt that your speeches were used by you as self-aggrandisement and not as an expression of sincerely held religious views."
Abdul Saleem, 32, was sentenced to three years and nine months for inciting terrorism overseas and Ibrahim Hassan, 25, was jailed for two years and nine months on the same charge.
Both men were cleared of fund-raising for terrorists.
Abdul Muhid, 25, was found guilty of fund-raising for terrorists, and sentenced to two years in jail.
The allegations at the heart of the trial concerned events on the evening of 9 November 2004 when Hussain and others were said to have targeted rising anger among Muslims over the Iraq war.
Kingston Crown Court heard that speeches and calls for funds were made both inside and outside the London Central Mosque at Regent's Park, despite the opposition of the institution's authorities.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
posted by jackaranda at 4:14 pm
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home