Solicitor denies Westminster attacker is Clapton hate preacher Abu Izzadeen

By Hackney Citizen | Wednesday 22 March 2017 at 19:24
Finsbury park mosque

Finsbury Park Mosque: Izzadeen is believed to have attended speeches by Abu Hamza at the Islington mosque. Photograph: Matt Buck

A a solicitor for Abu Izzadeen, a Hackney-born Islamic extremist who was named by Channel 4 News as the man behind an attack in Westminster which left three others dead, has denied the claims, saying his client is still in prison.

Channel 4 journalist Assem Baig later tweeted to confirm the news after speaking to Izzadeen’s brother, and the network has now admitted it is not sure who was responsible.

Four people, including a police officer and the suspect, are so far confirmed to have died in today’s incident.

Witnesses have described how the attacker mowed down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before crashing his car into a gate outside the Houses of Parliament. He is then said to have stabbed and killed the officer before being shot by armed police.

BBC home affairs correspondent Dominic Casciani said he had been told by “multiple sources” that Izzadeen, who is also known as Trevor Brooks, was not the attacker.

In November 2015 police stopped Izzadeen at the Hungarian border town Lokoshaza on a train destined for Romania, raising concerns he may have been trying to reach Syria.

Izzadeen was travelling with another known British extremist, Simon Keeler, despite the fact that both of them are subject to a travel ban preventing them from leaving the country.

In 2008, the pair were jailed for inciting terrorism abroad and terrorist fundraising.

Izzadeen was born to a Christian Jamaican family in Hackney but converted to Islam at the age of 17.

He gained notoriety in 2008 for heckling the then Home Secretary, John Reid, during the minister’s speech at a Leytonstone school.

The Muslim activist is thought to have been radicalised by Omar Bakri Mohammed and Abu Hamza at Finsbury Park mosque.

Channel 4 issued a statement saying: “On tonight’s Channel 4 News, senior home affairs correspondent Simon Israel quoted a source as saying that the name of the Westminster attacker was believed to be Abu Izzadeen, formerly known as Trevor Brooks.

“During the course of the programme, conflicting information came to light. Channel 4 News is currently looking into this.”

Mr Israel tweeted: “The source I trusted, but ultimately I made a mistake. This time I got it wrong. Abu Izzadeen is in prison.”

Channel 4 News editor Ben De Pear tweeted: “Tonight our trusted Correspondent @simonisrael made a mistake in naming the wrong person as the suspect in the parliament attack.

“in years of award winning coverage @simonisrael has rarely been wrong; tonight he was. Abu Izzadeen is in prison & not the suspect”.

Sadiq Khan earlier posted a video in response to the horrific events at Westminster.

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5 Comments

  1. erikanoebel on Wednesday 22 March 2017 at 21:37

    I don’t think it’s him. The nose was curved, but of course, everything else same.



  2. Z Akhtar on Wednesday 22 March 2017 at 22:35

    What utter madness. You can’t even identify a person. Typical.



  3. Michael Grennan on Thursday 23 March 2017 at 02:15

    Irrelevant! It doesn’t matter about someone’s name. What we need to identify is the cause of this ‘utter madness’. Everyone will have varying viewpoints concerning this, and all are pertinent, but sanity can only prevail through dialogue.



  4. Karel Bellic on Thursday 23 March 2017 at 03:12

    This comment has been removed by a moderator following a complaint.



  5. slackwaterbloop on Thursday 23 March 2017 at 07:46

    Si if he’s dead, whoever he was he can’t tell but surely he left his passport on the floor in that car, haven’t they looked?