Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Hate preacher Anjem Choudary jailed in new isolation unit

Anjem Choudary, a notorious Islamist hate preacher jailed for propagating terror last year, has become one of the first extremists to be moved to Britain's new isolation jail unit.

Choudary, now 50, was jailed for five-and-a-half-years in September last year for urging Muslims to support the Islamic State. The judge in his ruling then said that the "calculating and dangerous" man should be locked up behind bars.


Among Choudary's followers was one of the five attackers who stormed a cafe in Bangladesh capital Dhaka in July last year and killed 22 people, including an Indian girl.

Also among his followers was IS fighter Siddhartha Dhar, whom the UK media dubbed Jihadi Sid. The British Hindu converted to Islam and now goes by the name Abu Rumaysah.

Choudary has become the first known Islamist to be moved to a "separation centre" at HMP Frankland, a high-security prison in County Durham, northeast England, The Sunday Times reported.

He was moved to the unit after he refused to stop preaching his extremist views despite being warned by prison authorities, the newspaper reported.

Frankland's separation centre is the first of three in high security units. The other two are Woodhill, in Milton Keynes, which is expected to open in September, and Full Sutton, in Yorkshire.

Ian Acheson, who conducted the UK governments review into prison extremism, said separating "subversive hate preachers from their audience is a necessary step to prevent the spread of Islamist extremism".

But he added: "The possibility of hope and change is important, not just as a moral abstraction but because it will keep staff and prisoners safer."

The Ministry of Justice has refused to officially identify prisoners in Frankland's separation centre.

More For You

british-muslims-iStock

The study noted that this identification was not due to any doctrinal obligation but was influenced by the perception that many Muslims do not feel fully accepted as British. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Majority of British Muslims identify by faith first, study finds

A STUDY by the Institute for the Impact of Faith in Life (IIFL) has found that most British Muslims identify primarily with their religion rather than their nationality.

The research, based on a survey of 815 British Muslim adults by Whitestone Insight, revealed that 71 per cent of respondents identified as Muslim first, while 27 per cent identified as British, English, or Scottish first.

Keep ReadingShow less
Car Tax Changes: EV Owners Now Required to Pay for the First Time

Owners of electric vehicles registered on or after 1 April 2025 will pay £10 for the first year, followed by the standard VED rate of £195 from the second year. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Car tax changes take effect: EV owners to pay for first time

FROM today, 1 April 2025, electric cars, vans, and motorcycles in the UK will be subject to Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) for the first time.

The change, introduced in the 2022 Autumn Statement by former Conservative Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, aims to make motoring taxation fairer.

Keep ReadingShow less
scotland-minimum-wages-iStock

Full-time workers on the National Living Wage will receive an annual pay increase of £1,400 in real terms. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Wage increase takes effect for thousands of workers in Scotland

HUNDREDS of thousands of workers in Scotland will see a pay increase as new National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage rates take effect from Tuesday.

The changes will benefit approximately 220,000 people, according to STV News.

Keep ReadingShow less
uk-energy-bill-iStock

Water bills, energy prices, and council tax are rising, while the minimum wage has also increased (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

April bill increases put financial strain on single parents

A RANGE of essential household bills are increasing from April, with Citizens Advice warning that single parents will be among the hardest hit.

Water bills, energy prices, and council tax are rising, while the minimum wage has also increased, BBC reported.

Keep ReadingShow less
Netflix drama Adolescence to be screened in UK schools
Stephen Graham and Owen Cooper in 'Adolescence'
Netflix

Netflix drama Adolescence to be screened in UK schools

THE NETFLIX drama Adolescence will be shown in UK secondary schools as part of efforts to address harmful online influences on young boys, officials announced on Monday.

The show has sparked debate over the impact of toxic and misogynistic content on the internet. Prime minister Keir Starmer met the show's creators, charities, and young people at Downing Street, calling the initiative an important step in starting discussions about the content teenagers are exposed to online.

Keep ReadingShow less