Among those who helped facilitate the lectures was Khaleed Hussein, a 29-year-old gas station attendant from Edmonton, Alberta. He was convicted of membership in a proscribed organisation.
According to the Metropolitan Police, the verdicts were handed down following a six-week trial at Woolwich Crown Court in east London. Choudary, who has long resided in the area, was arrested on July 23, 2023, while Hussein was taken into custody hours later upon touching down at Heathrow after flying in from Canada to meet the preacher.
This is far from the first time Choudary has faced legal repercussions for his terror-promoting activity. In 2016, for exmaple, he was convicted of supporting ISIS and sentenced to five years and six months in prison, with the former half to be served and the latter simply subject to certain conditions, which included refraining from supporting terrorists.
When that sentence elapsed and the conditions expired in 2021, law enforcement grew concerned that Choudary may resort to his old ways. An investigation was soon launched to monitor his actions, and before long it became clear that he had done just that. He was found to be virtually involved with a group called the Islamic Thinkers Society, based out of New York.
Undercover investigators infiltrated the group, and soon learned that Hussein was acting as Choudary's "personal assistant," helping him host lectures and editing publications on his behalf. Via documents, videos, and audio recordings, authorities were able to piece together a case against the pair. As the BBC reports, in one instance Choudary was caught on tape telling followers that being "the number one radicaliser in Britain" was "a badge of honour."
Choudary and Hussein are set to be sentenced on July 30. The former faces up to life in prison.
