FYI
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Head of Muslim group who knew London knifeman blames UK foreign policy
Thursday, 23 May 2013
A police forensics team searches a crime scene for evidence,
where a man was killed the day before in Woolwich, southeast London May
23, 2013. (Reuters)
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Reuters, London -
The head of a banned British radical Islamist group who knew one of the men who
hacked a soldier to death on London streets said on
Thursday British foreign policy was to blame for the attack.
Anjem Choudary said Michael Adebolajo - filmed with his hands covered
with blood, carrying a meat cleaver and knife after attacking an
off-duty soldier in broad daylight – had attended lectures run by
al-Muhajiroun, Choudary’s organization, which was banned under
anti-terrorism laws in 2010.
“He used to attend a few
demonstrations and activities that we used to have in the past,”
Choudary told Reuters, adding he had not seen him for about two years.
“When I knew him he was very pleasant man, he was peaceful, unassuming
and I don’t think there’s any reason to think he would do anything
violent.”
Choudary’s organization gained notoriety for staging
events to commemorate the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States
with leaflets that referred to the hijackers as “the Magnificent19”. Its
Syrian-born founder Omar Bakri was banished from Britain in 2005.
Choudary has always maintained that al-Muhajiroun forbid sits followers
in Britain from carrying out attacks there under a” covenant of
security” demanded of Muslims in non-Muslim lands.
“I would not
consider him to be a member of the organization I don’t think he was
intellectually affiliated, he was a contact. He used to attend some
stuff,” Choudary said of Adebolajo. He said he did not recognize the
other suspect but had not seen clear images of him.
“If you are
a practicing Muslim male and you want to do something then you’ll
probably come across us at one time or another so I don’t think you
should be surprised that he’s been attending some of our activities.”
Sources familiar with Britain’s investigation of the two suspects say
both were British men of Nigerian heritage, and both were on the radar
of the authorities before the attack.
Acquaintances have
identified Adebolajo, who was filmed explaining the motives for the
attack, as a convert who grew up Christian.
He attended Marshall’s Park school in Romford, an overwhelmingly white suburb
on London’s north-east outskirts.
“I’m not in the business of condemnation or condoning,”Choudary said of
the attack. “I think if anyone needs to be condemned it is the British
government and their foreign policy. It’s so clear that that is the
cause.”
He added: “I think we’re all shocked by it. But he said
it all in that clip.... He blamed (Prime Minister David) Cameron and he
blamed the army and the authorities, and he said that British public
should do something about it because they’re not doing anything in their
names.”
“From the statements that he’s made himself, it’s
clear that that was being targeted. The cause is clear - it’s the
British foreign policy.”
Choudary’s organization has been known
for staging protests at funerals of British troops and for burning the
paper poppies that Britons wear annually in November to commemorate war
dead. It called its Remembrance Day protest “Hell for Heroes”, a
variation of the name of the veterans’ charity “Help for Heroes” whose
T-shirt was worn by Thursday’s soldier victim.
One of
Choudary’s followers, Richard Dart, converted by Choudary to Islam,
pleaded guilty to terrorism charges in March. Authorities said Dart had
discussed attacking Royal Wootton Basset, a town that holds ceremonies
for British troops killed abroad whose bodies are repatriated to a
nearby air field.
Choudary said banning organizations like al-Muhajiroun increased the chance of
attacks taking place in Britain.
“I believe al Muhajiroun are very beneficial for people to express
their anger. When you start to ban organizations from merely thought
crimes and because you don’t agree with what they say about foreign
policy, then I don’t think you should be surprised that people manifest
their anger in different ways.
“They are doing these kind of lone wolf, or DIY(do-it-yourself) type
operations.”
“I’m not going to stop talking about the foreign policy. I’m not going
to say Muslims in Muslim countries who are being bombed don’t have a
right to defend themselves. If that’s being radical, then yeah I’m a
radical. But in terms of targeting people, in terms of carrying these
operations we are very clear on our stance in the covenant of security.”
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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