Muslim Cleric from Contentious Fox and CNN Interviews Arrested in Counterterrorism Raid

The Muslim cleric featured in heated interviews on both CNN and Fox News last month was arrested Thursday as part of a London police counterterrorism raid.

According to The Guardian, Anjem Choudary was among nine Islamic men arrested on suspicion of “being members of a proscribed organization, or supporting a proscribed organization, as well as encouraging terrorism.”

Choudary was once spokesman for al-Muhajiroun, a radical group now banned in England. The organization has reformed under various aliases, officials allege, while the cleric himself has denied ever supporting acts of terror.

Mediaite readers may be familiar with Choudary from his appearances on Fox’s Hannity and CNN’s Reliable Sources. Both TV hits were shouting matches: In the latter, host Brian Stelter confronted the cleric for making an off-color 9/11 joke during soundcheck; in the former, Sean Hannity shouted at the cleric, “Are you that dumb or ignorant?” during a discussion of “Sharia law.”

Re-watch the CNN clip below:

And the Fox interview:

UPDATE — 1:42 p.m. ET: Choudary has been released from custody, per BBC:

Radical Islamist preacher Anjem Choudary released from custody after being arrested in London terror raids pic.twitter.com/NPCD2U1KkR

— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) September 26, 2014

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