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| Anjem Choudary held in London terror raids | Anjem Choudary held in London terror raids |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Nine men, including the radical Islamist preacher Anjem Choudary, have been arrested in London on suspicion of being members of a banned organisation. | Nine men, including the radical Islamist preacher Anjem Choudary, have been arrested in London on suspicion of being members of a banned organisation. |
| Officers are searching 18 premises in London and one in Stoke-on-Trent. | Officers are searching 18 premises in London and one in Stoke-on-Trent. |
| The Met Police said it was part of an ongoing inquiry into Islamist-related terrorism and not in response to any immediate threat to the public. | The Met Police said it was part of an ongoing inquiry into Islamist-related terrorism and not in response to any immediate threat to the public. |
| Mr Choudary is the former UK head of the Islamist group al-Muhajiroun or Islam4UK, banned in the UK in 2010. | Mr Choudary is the former UK head of the Islamist group al-Muhajiroun or Islam4UK, banned in the UK in 2010. |
| The arrested men, aged between 22 and 51, are being held at police stations in central London. | The arrested men, aged between 22 and 51, are being held at police stations in central London. |
| Analysis | |
| by Dominic Casciani, Home Affairs correspondent | |
| Anjem Choudary is a deeply controversial Islamic figure, a man who many Muslims despise because they believe he causes enormous damage to their position in British society. | |
| Alongside another now-banned cleric, he once spearheaded Al-Muhajiroun, a group that argued that the West is fighting a war against Muslims and Islam. | |
| When the government banned the group, some of its former members founded new organisations, including Islam4UK and Muslims Against Crusades - which were also later banned. | |
| The latter group's protests against British soldiers returning from Afghanistan, prompted right-wing extremists to launch the English Defence League. | |
| Mr Choudary has always denied allegations that he has either incited or glorified acts of terrorism. | |
| In a statement the Met said the men were being held on suspicion of being members of a proscribed organisation, 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. | In a statement the Met said the men were being held on suspicion of being members of a proscribed organisation, 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. |
| Police said a number of residential, business and community premises are being searched; 11 in east London, one in west London, one in north-west London and five in south London. | Police said a number of residential, business and community premises are being searched; 11 in east London, one in west London, one in north-west London and five in south London. |
| A residential property is also being searched in Stoke-on-Trent. | A residential property is also being searched in Stoke-on-Trent. |
| The arrests were carried out by the Met's Counter Terrorism Command (SO15). |