UK radical preacher on IS charges jailed over bail breach

London, Nov 28: British radical preacher Anjem Choudary, who faces charges for inviting support for the Islamic State group through social media, returned to jail on Friday after breaking his bail terms, according to court authorities.

The 48-year-old Choudary, who has been frequently interviewed by British and US media on his views on Islam and the Middle East, was arrested in August but was granted bail on September 4, pending a trial to be held in January.

But London's Westminster court revoked his bail after he was seen meeting a person he was "precluded from contacting".

At an earlier hearing, Choudary, from east London, said he would plead not guilty. Choudary and his co-accused, Mohammed Rahman, are charged with inviting support for the banned terror group between June 2014 and March 2015.

He is the former head in Britain of Islam4UK or al-Muhajiroun, a group that called for Islamic law in Britain and which was banned under counter-terrorism legislation in 2010.

On granting bail, judge John Saunders set out 10 strict conditions, including not using electronic devices and non-association with certain people.

The Conservative government of Prime Minister David Cameron has vowed to clamp down on extremists it blames for radicalising young people after hundreds of recruits were reported to have left Britain to join Islamic State.

Cameron has promised new legislation to "put out of action the key extremist influencers who are careful to operate just inside the law, but who clearly detest British society and everything we stand for".

AFP