ISIS supporter convicted of Bangladeshi imam's murder in UK

A British ISIS supporter was on Friday found guilty of killing a 71-year-old Bangladeshi-origin imam after he suspected him of "practising black magic".

The Press Trust of India (PTI) reports that Mohammed Hussain Syeedy, 21, was found guilty of murder after jurors at Manchester Crown Court were told he helped plan the attack on Jalal Uddin and also acted as the getaway driver for a co-accused, who has since fled the country.

Syeedy, a former Manchester United football match steward and electrical engineering student, now faces a life term in jail when Judge David Maddison will announce the sentence by next week.

"The prosecution proved that Syeedy believed Jalal to be practising black magic and, inspired by the teachings of ISIS, that the victim deserved to die for that belief.

Syeedy and his accomplice stalked Jalal round the streets before attacking him and leaving him to die," said Sue Hemming, head of the UK's Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division.

"The poisonous ideology of ISIS cannot be allowed to sow division in our society and those who carry out or encourage violence in its name will be prosecuted. Our thoughts are with Mr Uddin's family and friends," she said.

Jalal was attacked in a children's play area in Rochdale, near Manchester, on the evening of Feb 18.

Syeedy and his accomplice Mohammed Abdul Kadir, now believed to be in Syria, had planned their attack over many months before bludgeoning Jalal to death as he walked home from evening prayers at his mosque, it emerged in court.

Jalal was killed because he practised something known as Ruqya, a form of healing in which he used amulets called Taweez.

His attackers, followers of a strand of Islam known as Salafism - the same strand as ISIS - believed this practice to be punishable by death.

Counter-terrorism officers joined the murder investigation when it emerged that the prime suspect, 24-year-old Kadir, had fled the UK.

When police raided Syeedy's home, they found images and recordings which included several pictures of the 21-year-old pointing his index finger to the sky, described in court as a "salute" that has been adopted by supporters of ISIS.

Jalal was described as quiet, dignified, well liked and well respected in Rochdale.

The court was told that the answer to who hated him enough to murder him "is to be found in the twisted ideology of ISIS".

Syeedy had denied murder and manslaughter. -- BERNAMA