Islamist preacher Anjem Choudary tells court 'the Kevin Keegan effect' made people wrongly link him to a group after it became a proscribed terror network

Islamist preacher Anjem Choudary has told a court the 'Kevin Keegan effect' made people wrongly still view him as being a member of a group after it became a proscribed terrorist network.

Choudary, 57, is accused of directing a terrorist organisation called al-Muhajiroun (ALM) before and after his release from prison for encouraging support for ISIS.

The 57-year-old, from Ilford, east London, is said to have given lectures to the New York-based Islamic Thinkers Society (ITS), which prosecutors allege was 'the same' as ALM.

ALM has been banned in the UK since 2010, though it is said the group has continued to exist under various names.

Choudary, who gave evidence at Woolwich Crown Court today, said ALM was disbanded in 2004 because founder Omar Bakri Mohammed had a shift in ideology.

Asked by defence barrister Paul Hynes KC if his role in the group is what he is most famous for, Choudary replied: 'Yes, it was the Kevin Keegan effect, I've never moved on from him playing for Liverpool.'

He added: 'People look at me and think Al-Muhajiroun.'

Choudary said he became known as a member while the group sought publicity between 1996 and 2004.

He added: 'People still remember you, in the same way Nigel Farage is Ukip, George Galloway is Respect.'

Asked if he saw any evidence of ALM existing after 2004, he told jurors: 'No, it was not for anyone to revive it apart from Sheikh Omar Bakri Mohammed, he founded it, he disbanded it.

'It would not be for someone else to revive it.'

Choudary said the suggestion that ALM continued under the name of ITS was 'nonsense', saying the organisation was formed in 2003 amid disagreements with ALM over ideology.

He told the court that ITS members were 'attacking' ALM's positions in online posts.

Prosecutors say that Choudary appeared in a video posted on YouTube in 2016 entitled 'The History of Dawah in Europe' in which he referred to 'Islamic Thinkers' as 'our branch in America'.

Asked about this, Choudary said: 'They branched off, they were doing their own thing.'

The defendant said he became aware of ITS' existence in 2010 but was not communicating with members until he started giving online lectures to them in 2021.

He told jurors: 'I was not doing much, I was just out of prison (after the 2016 conviction) and doing some talks online, this was another request and I accepted it.'

Asked why he agreed if ITS members had criticised ALM in the past, Choudary replied: 'I didn't know about the attacks until the police evidence in this case.'

Also on trial is Khaled Hussein, 29, from Canada, who prosecutors say was a 'follower and dedicated supporter' of Choudary.

He has pleaded not guilty to membership of ALM while Choudary denies directing a terrorist organisation, being a member of a proscribed organisation and addressing meetings to encourage support for a proscribed organisation.

The 57-year-old was arrested in east London on July 17 of this year while Hussein was detained at Heathrow having arrived on a flight the same day.

Choudary denies directing a terrorist organisation, membership of a proscribed organisation and addressing meetings over the internet from his home between June 2022 and July last year.

Khaled Hussein, 29, from Edmonton, Canada, denies membership of a proscribed organisation.

The trial continues.