Six guilty of terrorism support

A man who heckled then Home Secretary John Reid during a speech has been convicted of terrorist fund-raising and inciting terrorism overseas.

Muslim preacher Abu Izzadeen was among six men convicted of supporting terrorism in London speeches in 2004.

The Kingston Crown Court jury failed to reach a verdict on a charge against Izzadeen of encouraging terrorism.

Shah Jalal Hussain, guilty of terrorist fund-raising, remains missing after failing to appear at court on 8 April.

The charges related to speeches made at London's Regent's Park mosque on 9 November 2004, as US troops were engaged in a fierce battle in the Iraqi city of Falluja.

'No other weapon'

Clips of the eight men speaking about jihad, Osama bin Laden and prejudice towards Muslims were played to the jury during the three-and-a-half month trial.

Prosecutor Jonathan Laidlaw QC told the court: "What occurred was that these eight men delivered or contributed to a series of speeches and appeals for money, and in the case of five of the defendants, for volunteers to join in the fight against coalition troops.

"The speeches became progressively more emotive and inflammatory and insulting in their tone."

The court heard that Izzadeen, of Leytonstone, east London, told his audience: "Allah gave mujahideen chance to kill the American."

But the 32-year-old, tried under the name Omar Brooks, argued in court that he and other British Muslims had "no other weapon than our tongue" to fight against what they saw as a "massacre" by British and American forces in the city.

Izzadeen told the jury that asking people to support terrorist organisations was illegal and he had never done so.

The eight defendants denied all charges against them.

Six convicted

Also found guilty of terrorist fund-raising were Simon Keeler and Abdul Muhid, 25, both of Whitechapel, east London.

There were not guilty verdicts on the same charge against Abdul Saleem, 32, Rajib Khan, 29, and Ibrahim Hassan, 25, while the jury could not reach a verdict for 28-year-old Omar Zaheer, of Southall, west London.

Saleem, of Poplar, east London, and Hassan, of Leyton, east London, were found guilty along with Izzadeen and Keeler of inciting terrorism overseas.

The jury could not reach a verdict on that charge against Mr Khan, of Luton, Bedfordshire.

A warrant has been issued for the arrest of missing Hussain, 25, of Whitechapel.

The six men are due to be sentenced on Friday.

Izzadeen hit the news in 2006 for heckling as Home Secretary John Reid delivered a speech, in Leytonstone, about targeting potential Muslim extremists.  

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