Imam 'murdered by IS supporters'

TWO Islamic State supporters, one from Oldham, murdered an imam because they viewed his practice of Islamic healing as "black magic", a jury heard.

Jalal Uddin (71) suffered multiple injuries to his head and face in an attack, thought to have involved a hammer, in a children's play area in Rochdale on February 18 as he walked home after leaving a friend's house..

Mohammed Hussain Syeedy, 22, of Ramsay Street, Rochdale, denies murder and will claim he does not support Isis or violent extremism of any kind, prosecutor Paul Greaney QC told Manchester Crown Court.

Mohammed Abdul Kadir, 24, of Chamber Road, Oldham, fled to Turkey in the days following the killing, the court heard. Attempts to trace him have proved unsuccessful, Mr Greaney added.

The pair are said to have developed "a hatred" of Mr Uddin when they discovered last year he practised Ruqya healing, which involves the use of amulets. Mr Greaney said it was the Crown's case that Syeedy drove Kadir to the gates of the park, knowing full well that Kadir intended to attack Mr Uddin so as to kill him or at least cause him serious harm.

He said the pair had "stalked" Mr Uddin around the streets of Rochdale on February 18 before Kadir left Syeedy's car and ran towards Mr Uddin as he entered the park on the final leg of his journey home.

Kadir was said to have landed "repeated forceful blows", including to his mouth and teeth, which left the victim with a depressed skull fracture. He then fled and was picked up by Syeedy and spirited away, the court heard.

Two girls discovered the unconscious Mr Uddin at about 8.45pm and the alarm was raised. He was rushed to hospital where he died a short time later.

On February 23, police searched Syeedy's home and discovered a large volume of IS-related material on an iPhone including photographs of Syeedy and his friends, including Kadir, raising IS one-finger salutes, Mr Greaney said.

Photographs of flags associated with jihad draped over road signs were also found, and an image of someone holding up a flag for "Rochdale 2 Syria" - an aid convoy in which the defendant was involved. The jury was also shown video footage of one such convoy to Syria, which was interspersed with images of Syeedy and others said to be giving the IS salute, and a man planting an IS flag, apparently in the UK.

A further search the next day uncovered a memory card which included an image of Syeedy and another man holding a jihadist flag outside the Jalalia Mosque in Rochdale. Another photograph showed Syeedy wearing a stab-proof vest outside the mosque.

A WhatsApp image of Syeedy and two men holding a jihadist flag over a road sign in Rochdale, which was altered to read "War Zone Ends", was also shown to jurors.

In a bedroom wardrobe at Syeedy's home, investigators also found patches, flags and a headband, all said to have contained jihadist symbols. Mr Greaney said the material seized clearly showed Syeedy had been "radicalised".