Anjem Choudary among nine arrested in London anti
Police have arrested Anjem Choudary, one of the most high-profile Islamists in Britain, and raided 19 premises including one containing a sweet shop as they investigated the alleged encouraging of terrorism.
Choudary, 47, was one of nine men arrested by officers from Scotland Yard’s counter-terrorism command on Thursday morning.
Police gave only sparse details, but the men were arrested on suspicion of being members of a proscribed organisation, or supporting a proscribed organisation, as well as encouraging terrorism.
Choudary has gained publicity for statements over the years that inflamed some people, but which stayed on the right side of the law. He is a former lawyer and self-styled preacher and says he is an expert in Islamic or sharia law.
One of the addresses raided by police contains the sweet shop in east London. This afternoon officers answered the shop’s door and officers could be seen inside the shop.
On Thursday morning Choudary’s phone was uncharacteristically switched off and a chat group he uses to communicate his message was silent, saying it was last viewed at 5.33am.
The men arrested were aged from 22 to 51 years old and were all detained in London.
Police said a total of 19 addresses were being searched, mostly in London, including community premises as well as residential and business addresses. One address is in Stoke-on-Trent in the Midlands, 11 are in east London, one is in west London, one is in north-west London and five are in south London.
Neighbours said Choudary appeared to have moved out of his semi-detached home in Walthamstow, north-east London, last week and that there had been significant police activity at the address over the weekend.
“The police activity was definitely last week,” said one neighbour, who declined to be named. “Police officers came round and went up the doorstep – two were walking around constantly and there were three police cars parked down the road. They were in pairs. A police car came round a few times. Later that evening I saw the light on upstairs after the police had gone.”
The neighbour added that Choudary lived in the house for two or three years but removed some belongings last week.
“We’ve had leaflets from rightwing groups put though our door saying ‘do you know he lives down your street?’,” the neighbour said, adding that they were on “nodding terms” with Choudary.
Another neighbour, Derek Rayner, 70, said Choudary “kept himself to himself” but was not popular with local residents. “He hasn’t done me any harm personally and he hasn’t done his neighbours any harm, but I just don’t want him on my doorstep,” Rayner said.
On Thursday morning the property where Choudary lived was covered in scaffolding, with a number of workers leaving and entering the house. It is unclear whether Choudary has moved out of the address permanently or just until the works, which started several weeks ago, are completed.
In a statement the Met said: “These arrests and searches are part of an ongoing investigation into Islamist-related terrorism and are not in response to any immediate public safety risk.”
Those arrested in Thursday’s raids are being held at police stations in the capital.
The Met said: “Officers from the Metropolitan police service’s counter-terrorism command have arrested nine men this morning, Thursday, 25 September, on suspicion of being a member of a proscribed organisation [or] supporting a proscribed organisation contrary to section 11 and 12 of the Terrorism Act 2000 and encouraging terrorism contrary to section 1 of the Terrorism Act 2006.”
