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Anjem Choudary jailed for five and a half years for drumming up support for IS

Hate preacher Anjem Choudary has been jailed for five and a half years for drumming up support for so-called Islamic State (IS).

His supporters in the public gallery of the Old Bailey courtroom shouted 'Allahu Akbar' as Choudary was sentenced.

The British-born 49-year-old backed the terrorist group in a series of talks posted on YouTube, and recognised a caliphate - a symbolic Islamic state - had been created under an IS leader after it was announced In June 2014.

Mohammed Mizanur Rahman, 33, was jailed for the same period for inviting support for IS between June 29, 2014 and March 6, 2015.

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Choudary conviction 'significant blow against terror'

Credit: PA

Anti-terror police have hailed the conviction of Anjem Choudary as a "significant" victory in the fight against home-grown terrorism.

Commander Dean Haydon, head of the Met’s counter-terror command, said they had finally seen the hate preacher and his co-defendant jailed after years of "frustration" as they skirted the bounds of the law.

"Their recent speeches and the oath of allegiance were a turning point for the police - at last we had the evidence that they had stepped over the line and we could prove they were actively encouraging support of ISIS," he said.

This has been a significant prosecution in our fight against terrorism and we will now be working with communities to ensure that they are not replaced by others spreading hate.

– Commander Dean Haydon
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Anjem Choudary jailed for five and a half years for drumming up support for IS

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