Islamist extremists who have voiced support for terrorism since the bomb attacks in London last month could face charges of treason, it was confirmed today.
Attorney General Lord Goldsmith and Director of Public Prosecutions Ken Macdonald yesterday discussed possible action that could be taken against three prominent clerics who have appeared on TV in recent days.
The Crown Prosecution Service's head of anti-terrorism will meet senior officers at Scotland Yard within the next few days to discuss possible charges against Omar Bakri Mohammed, Abu Izzadeen and Abu Uzair, the Attorney-General's Office confirmed.
It is possible that prosecutors could also seek access to tapes made by an undercover Sunday Timesreporter who reportedly recorded members of the radical Saviour Sect praising the bombers who killed themselves and 52 innocent people on July 7th as "the fantastic four".
Spokesmen for radical Islamist groups are generally careful during media interviews to avoid saying anything which might suggest they approve of violent attacks in the UK.
But several have indicated that they regard the use of terror tactics such as suicide bombing acceptable in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Abu Uzair of the Saviour Sect
Omar Bakri Mohammed is the London-based spiritual leader of the extremist group al-Muhajiroun. The group has supposedly disbanded, but Prime Minister Tony Blair said on Friday that its successor organisation would be outlawed.
Mr Bakri sparked outrage last week when he said on TV that he would not inform police if he knew Muslims were planning a bomb attack on a train in the UK and supported Muslims who attacked British troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. "For Muslims there, they have a duty to fight occupiers, whether they are British soldiers or American soldiers," he told Channel 4 News.
British-born Abu Izzadeen, a spokesman for the group al-Ghurabaa - "the Strangers" - has refused to condemn the July 7th bombs, telling BBC2's Newsnightthey were "mujahideen activity" which would make people "wake up and smell the coffee".
Abu Uzair, a former member of al-Muhajiroun now understood to be part of its successor organisation the Saviour Sect, told the same programme that the September atrocities in the US were "magnificent".
He said that Muslims had previously accepted a "covenant of security" which meant they should not resort to violence in the UK because they were not under threat there. "We don't live in peace with you any more, which means the covenant of security no longer exists," he said.
PA