Canadian national sentenced to five years in prison for UK terrorism offences

Roberto Wakerell-Cruz
  |   July 30, 2024   |   Be the first to comment

A British court found a Canadian national guilty of participating in a terrorist organization on Tuesday, sentencing him to five years in prison.

Khaled Hussein, a Canadian citizen from Edmonton, was sentenced with British Citizen Anjem Choudary after they were convicted on multiple charges under the British Terrorism Act.

Choudary was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 28 years for serving as leader of the Al Muhajiroun terror group since 2015, reports the BBC. Hussein was a member of the group since 2020.

“I am sure that you were in awe of Anjem Choudary and became involved in this offence partly because of his influence over you,” Justice Mark Wall told Hussein during his sentencing remarks, according to Global News. “However, I am equally sure that you knew full well what you were getting involved in and were anxious to become ever more deeply involved in it.”

Choudary was helped by Hussein “in a number of ways” despite being limited in his involvement due to living in Canada. That assistance included several grunt-level tasks such as setting up websites and distributing magazines that allowed Choudary to “spread his message,” said Justice Wall.

Hussein served as a “personal assistant to Choudary,” said the London Metropolitan Police, noting that he helped in various online lectures and edited extremist blogs and publications for the extremist organization.

Hussein was identified by the RCMP as a person of interest during a counterterrorism investigation that it launched in 2019. An undercover officer discovered the connection between Hussein and Choudary. Hussein was planning to travel from Edmonton to London in June 2023 and was arrested after landing in London a month later.

Wall said Hussein had travelled to London to meet Choudary.

Hussein will serve up to five years in prison, followed by a sixth year on a supervision licence after his release. The British Parole Board will decide if Hussein can be released on a supervision licence early after he serves at least two-thirds of his five-year sentence. Additionally, he will be subject to notification requirements for 15 years after his release.

RCMP Assistant Commissioner Lisa Moreland said that she hopes the convictions are a “reminder that extremism can take hold anywhere and that we must remain vigilant.”

Choudary was previously convicted of terrorism offences in 2016 and was sentenced to five years in prison.

Justice Wall said that Choudary’s actions “ran the risk of causing or contributing to the deaths of very many people.”

“In addition, by running an organization such as Al Muhajiroun, you contributed in a significant way to the fear of terrorist attack by radical Islamic organizations which then existed in this country and abroad,” Wall said at the sentencing hearing.

Featured Stories

COMMENTS

Be the first to comment

Please check your e-mail for a link to activate your account.