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| Hassan Anyabwile |
Abu Bakr surprised...
Jamaat-al-Muslimeen leader Yasin Abu Bakr was taken by surprise yesterday when told his former second-in-command in the 1990 attempted coup, Hassan Anyabwile, had been elevated to the position of head imam at a terror-linked mosque in London, England, following the murder of its imam, Abdul Hadi Arwani, on Wednesday.
Other local Muslim groups also expressed surprised.
When given the information by the Express that wheelchair-bound Anyabwile, 53, was now leading the An-Noor Mosque in Acton, West London, according to an online report, Abu Bakr said he knew nothing about the issue since all contact was lost with Anyabwile when he migrated to England in 2005.
A Mail online investigative report published yesterday stated: “Abdul Hadi Arwani, 48, was found slumped in a Volkswagen Passat on Wednesday morning in Wembley. The imam, described as ‘the most peaceful man you could ever wish to meet’, had gun wounds to the chest. He was said to have been embroiled in dispute with his former workplace, the An-Noor Mosque in Acton, where he had been replaced by Hassan Anyabwile from Trinidad and Tobago.”
The report stated: “Anyabwile was involved in attempted coup in 1990, Parliamentary report found. He belonged to a local radical Islamic group called Jamaat-al-Muslimeen. He moved to the UK after being given amnesty in exchange for surrender.
“He denied any dispute between the west London mosque and Mr Arwani. The mosque has refused to answer questions over Mr Arwani’s time there. Counter terrorism police are now leading the investigation into his death.”
According to the report: “The An-Noor Mosque, where Mr Arwani used to be one of the main imams, has a reputation for hosting fundamentalist speakers. It became notorious in 2013, when a terror suspect went there and changed into a burqa in order to escape surveillance then went on the run.
“Mohammed Ahmed Mohamed has been missing for 16 months, and was last seen entering An-Noor dressed as a man before leaving in a full-length covering designed for women which obscured his identity.
“He was subject to a Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measure, which restrict the movements of people suspected of involvement in terrorism. Other extremists linked to the mosque include Uthman Mustafa Kamal, the son of hate preacher Abu Hamza, who has regularly led prayers at An-Noor.”
During a brief telephone interview with the Express yesterday, Abu Bakr said: “I know that he is in London. I know he was seeking some kind of amnesty. I also know that he was in a wheelchair. I don’t know anything else.”
When asked if has been in contact with Anyabwile since he migrated to London, Abu Bakr replied: “Not at all. I have been in no contact with him at all.”
He added: “I want to make sure I have proper information. I can find out what this is about and then I could always give a comment. Until then, let me reserve the right to be informed.”
And Azid Ali, general secretary of the Trinidad Muslim League, said he was not aware of the news that Anyabwile was in charge of the controversial mosque.
He said: “There is little or no comment I can make on that without at least verifying all the facts and then ascertaining the situation, doing an assessment and then we will make a release on it.”
Anyabwile broke off ties with group
Hassan Anyabwile, a one-time second-in-command at the Jamaat-al-Muslimeen, was among the 114 Muslimeen men who attempted to overthrow the National Alliance for Reconstruction government on July 27, 1990.
Anyabwile, who was once the group’s head of security and based in San Fernando, broke off ties with the group in 2001 and reportedly went to Sudan to study Islam.
Also known as Belville Marshall, he was left a paraplegic after being shot and had to use a wheelchair. He travelled to the United Kingdom, where he applied for asylum.
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