edited 30 April 2007
Franklin Freeman
copyright © the author 2006-7
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Al-Mujahiroun [pronounced "al-Madroon", meaning "The Emigrants"], was an Islamist group founded in the 1990s. Since being banned in Britain, it has produced several spinoffs, including Ahl ul-Sunnah Wa al-Jamma ("Eyes and Ears of Muslims") ...
It was men from "Mujahiroun spinoff al-Ghuraaba" who, in April 2005, attacked UK anti-war MP George Galloway at a meeting at Bethnal Green in London (where he was standing for election). They claimed to believe Galloway was pro-war ...
The group's east London campaign is being run by Abdul Mueed, a student, who promised yesterday [21 April 2005] that al-Ghuraaba would continue to disrupt events and target candidates to get across its message to Muslims that they will go to hell if they vote on May 5 [2005, the date of the general election]. ...One suspects that this "Islamist fringe" is another manifestation of the unholy interface of radical Islam and Anglo-Saxon intelligence services.When told that Respect is an anti-war party and is calling for British troops to be removed from Iraq, Mr Mueed changed tack and said it was the Muslim Council of Britain calling for Muslims to join the army. ...
(Audrey Gillan and Vikram Dodd, Islamists step up campaign to stop Muslims voting, The Guardian (UK), 22 April 05)
John Loftus, "a terrorism expert and former prosecutor for the [US] Justice Department", was interviewed on Fox TV in 2005. He said that Haroon Rashid Aswat, the "deputy head of al-Mujahiroun", was an MI6 double agent. But Loftus also claimed that Aswat "is believed to be the mastermind of all the [July 2005] bombings in London" — a claim which I have found nowhere else. The Loftus interview may well be disinformation.
(transcript of Fox TV interview with John Loftus, 29 July 05 (with link to video), Centre for Research on Globalization)
However, other top associates do appear to have MI5 connections. In 1996-7, an MI5 agent attempted to recruit Abu Qatada (who has been associated with the leaders of al-Mujahiroun) as an informant. Whether the recruitment was successful is not remarked in the source; but "some French officials later allege[d] that Qatada continue[d] to be an MI5 agent ..."
("British Intelligence Recruits Prominent Al-Qaeda Cleric ...", Center for Cooperative Research)
Further on Abu Qatada ...British Channel 4 News said (on 23 March 2004) that Abu Qatada, a radical Muslim cleric detained indefinitely without trial since 9/11, was collaborating with MI5 in the later 1990s, in moves to "immunize" Britain from extremist attacks.
(March 2004 diary, under 23 March 04; cf. Simon Israel, "MI5 courted terror suspect", Channel 4 News online, 23 March 04. The page contains a link to a copy [in PDF format] of the report of the Special Immigration Appeals Tribunal. See also Daniel McGrory and Richard Ford, "Al-Qaeda cleric exposed as an MI5 double agent", The Times [UK], 25 March 2004.)
There are other curious claims of contacts between the security services and "Islamist terrorists".
Relatives of two brothers suspected of a terror plot in Britain have made extraordinary claims that they were visited by an MI5 agent before their arrests.(Six men finally went on trial over the alleged fertilizer-bomb plot in March 2006. There were said to be connections with al-Mujahiroun, and one of the men supposedly met al-Qaeda's no. 3 man on the Afghan-Pakistan border in 2003-4. On 30 April 2007 five were convicted; it was then "revealed" that they had connections with the 7/7 plotters.)Security sources dismissed the claims as "rubbish" but the men's family remained adamant an agent called "Mr Gould" spoke with the pair three times.
Omar Khyam, 22, and Shujah Khyam, 17, are among eight suspects being quizzed over a find of ammonium nitrate.
[ITV Teletext, 31 March 04, p.304. See also "Fresh arrest in UK terrorism probe" (end paragraphs), CNN.com, 1 April 2004; "British 'Terror Suspects' Were in Contact With MI5", The Scotsman, 1 April 2004, on PrisonPlanet.com]
Queen branded 'an enemy of Islam' [by reformulated Mujahiroun]
Nick Allen, The Scotsman, 19 November 2005
'A leading member of a controversial new Islamic group yesterday branded the Queen "an enemy of Islam".
'Muslim convert Simon Sulayman Keeler was speaking at the launch of Ahl ul-Sunnah Wa al-Jamma, which is the new vehicle for the ex-leadership of al-Mujahiroun.
'In August this year, Tony Blair, the Prime Minister announced plans to ban Al-Mujahiroun, whose spiritual leader, the radical Omar Bakri Mohammed, is currently in Lebanon and barred from Britain.
'Mr Keeler was joined at the launch by Anjem Choudary, the former UK head of Al-Mujahiroun ...
'Asked about al-Qaeda's designation of the Queen as an enemy of Islam [A phrase which MI5 has already kindly informed us was used by "al-Qaeda" in a recent video. (See my November 2005 diary, under 12 Nov. 2005.) So he was actually prompted to say it.] ...' Mr Keeler said: "My comments are in no way a call for arms or assassination. I do no call for assassination of the Queen." But he said that she was sovereign of a country that attacks Muslims.
'The Queen is an enemy to Islam and Muslims," Mr Keeler went on. ...'
The name "Ahl ul-Sunnah Wa al-Jamma" was displayed on a banner at the head of a small demonstration, in London on Friday 3 February 2006, which called for new terrorist attacks and beheadings. The demonstration was part of a worldwide response to a series of prophet-Muhammed caricatures, originally printed in the Danish paper Jyllands Posten in September 2005, and reproduced in January 2006 by several European papers. The Conservative "shadow" attorney general has raised the question of why the police did nothing to oppose such incitement.
BBC Newsnight on 6 February 2006 said that a similar demonstration — of about 20 people — was held outside the BBC's headquarters. An "Ahl ul-Sunnah Wa al-Jamma" banner was displayed here too, as were further violent placards. Newsnight said the police took no action and, on the contrary, threatened passers-by who opposed the demonstrators.
(See my February 2006 diary under 4 Feb. 06, light-yellow section.)
The former head of ... al-Mujahiroun has been charged over the Muslim cartoon protests in London in February [2006], said Scotland Yard.Anjem Choudary, 39, of Ilford, Essex, was bailed after being charged with organising the protest without notifying the police.
Abdul Muhid, 23, of East London, was charged with two counts of soliciting to murder. He was remanded in custody. ...
'Mr Choudary has been bailed to appear before Bow Street Magistrates Court on 11 May while Mr Mujid will appear before the Old Bailey on 23 June. ...'
["Two in court after cartoon demo", BBC News online, 6 May 2006]
Other Islamist group: Hizb ut-Tahrir