A radical Islamist preacher alleged over the weekend that the assassination of Tory MP David Amess on Friday may have been due to his pro-Israel stance.
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"The rumors are that he [Amess] was pro-Israel," Anjem Choudary told the Mail on Sunday from his home in East London. "Many people believe that [Israel] is a terrorist state, and who would possibly be a friend of Israel after you see the carnage that they carried out against Muslims in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and continue to do with the appropriation of properties?" he said. Amess was a member of the pro-Israel group "Conservatives Friends of Israel" and expressed strong support of the Jewish state during his long term in Parliament, dating back to 1983.
Choudary further stated that while "no one in their right and rational mind would support such a state," it nevertheless "does not give anyone the justification to kill."
The 54-year-old cleric is the former leader of the proscribed group Islam4UK. He also served two years in prison, between 2016 and 2018, for inviting support for the Islamic State. He was originally given a five-and-a-half-year sentence but was released early. He lived under license restriction until July this year but is free to preach again.
Nevertheless, security forces have said that if Choudary continued to preach extremism in Britain, he could be put under house arrest and tried again on terrorism and hate law charges.
His comments drew criticism from British officials and intellectuals alike.
"Not only is it outrageous and repugnant, but the whole motive of the attack is a matter for the police – not Mr. Choudary," British Professor Anthony Glees, an expert on extremism, said. "'Like all brainwashed radicalizers, Choudary will do everything he can to carry on making his poisonous comments. This is an attempt to radicalize others."
A 25-year-old British man – reportedly called Ali Harbi Ali – has been arrested in connection with the attack on Amess. Police have called his alleged action terrorism and have said that there were indications that his actions drew "potential motivation linked to Islamist extremism."
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