LONDON: Police on Thursday arrested a 31-year-old Londoner suspected of encouraging terrorism. Sky News identified him as Abu Izzadeen, who had a public confrontation with a Cabinet minister last year.
Metropolitan Police declined to identify the man, saying only that he was arrested Thursday morning.
In September, Izzadeen disrupted Home Secretary John Reid’s meeting with a group of Muslim leaders in London.
Describing Reid as an “enemy of Islam and Muslims,” Izzadeen shouted: “Shame on all of us for sitting down and listening to him.”
Izzadeen, a British citizen who is also reportedly known as Omar Brooks, has described himself as the spokesman for the al-Ghurabaa group.
He reportedly grew up in a Christian family but converted to Islam when he was 17. He has been quoted as saying that Britain’s failure to accept a “cease-fire” from Osama bin Laden led to the July 7 attacks.