Islamist preacher Anjem Choudary has told a trial “the Kevin Keegan effect” meant people still viewed him as being a member of Al-Muhajiroun (ALM) after it became a proscribed terrorist network.
Choudary, who was convicted of supporting the so-called Islamic State in 2016, is accused of taking a “caretaker role” in directing the group, as well as being a member of the proscribed organisation for “many years” and encouraging support for it through online meetings.
The 57-year-old, of Ilford, east London, is said to have given lectures to the New York-based Islamic Thinkers Society (ITS), which prosecutors allege was “the same” as ALM.
ALM has been banned in the UK since 2010, though it is said the group has continued to exist under various names.
Choudary, giving evidence at Woolwich Crown Court on Monday, said ALM was disbanded in 2004 because founder Omar Bakri Mohammed had a shift in ideology.
Asked by defence barrister Paul Hynes KC if his role in the group is what he is most famous for, Choudary replied: “Yes, it was the Kevin Keegan effect, I’ve never moved on from him playing for Liverpool.”
He added: “People look at me and think Al-Muhajiroun.”
Choudary said he became known as a member while the group sought publicity between 1996 and 2004.
He added: “People still remember you, in the same way Nigel Farage is Ukip, George Galloway is Respect.”
Asked if he saw any evidence of ALM existing after 2004, he told jurors: “No, it was not for anyone to revive it apart from Sheikh Omar Bakri Mohammed, he founded it, he disbanded it.
“It would not be for someone else to revive it.”
Choudary said the suggestion that ALM continued under the name of ITS was “nonsense”, saying the organisation was formed in 2003 amid disagreements with ALM over ideology.
The defendant went on to say that ALM sought media attention and had a “sophisticated” structure, while ITS “shunned” news outlets and operated mostly on streets.
He told the court that ITS members were “attacking” ALM’s positions in online posts.
Prosecutors say that Choudary appeared in a video posted on YouTube in 2016 entitled “The History of Dawah in Europe” in which he referred to “Islamic Thinkers” as “our branch in America”.
Asked about this, Choudary said: “They branched off, they were doing their own thing.”
The defendant said he became aware of ITS’ existence in 2010 but was not communicating with members until he started giving online lectures to them in 2021.
He told jurors: “I was not doing much, I was just out of prison (after the 2016 conviction) and doing some talks online, this was another request and I accepted it.”
Asked why he agreed if ITS members had criticised ALM in the past, Choudary replied: “I didn’t know about the attacks until the police evidence in this case.”
Choudary denied having a management role within the group, saying that during lectures he spoke of the importance of Dawah (spreading the word of Islam).
He told jurors: “I don’t call myself a scholar or anything like that, I am a student of sharia, I will always be a student. If I can pass on some knowledge before I pass away, why not?”
Choudary said his involvement with ITS had “nothing to do with administration or money”.
Also on trial is Khaled Hussein, 29, from Canada, who prosecutors say was a “follower and dedicated supporter” of Choudary.
He has pleaded not guilty to membership of ALM while Choudary denies directing a terrorist organisation, being a member of a proscribed organisation and addressing meetings to encourage support for a proscribed organisation.
Choudary was arrested in east London on July 17 of last year while Hussein was detained at Heathrow having arrived on a flight the same day.
The trial continues.