Undercover: Islamic Extremists Week In Week Out

UK watch your back! Islamic extremists on the streets of

Cardiff. The city has been shocked by a series of events, including a

terrorism plot to blow up the London Stock Exchange. Tonight we

go undercover to expose the Welsh Islamic extremists. There's growing

concern about this group. We have seen a confidential police report

which warns of vulnerable people being radicalised. One or two of

those young people have the potential to turn into real

terrorists. They hate, what they Cardiff is a city which prides

itself on its diversity and tolerance. These streets hold a

dark secret. A group of Islamic extremists who are linked to some

disturbing events. Nick Palit investigates. For months we have

been undercover with a group of Muslim extremists, trying to get to

the heart of who is behind them, what they believe in, and what

Our undercover reporter has been regularly meeting up with a member

of the group. Going undercover has opened my eyes to their world and

how dangerous it could be. It's only when someone tries to radical

ice you can you realise what they could do. Concerns about

radicalisation of young Muslims in Cardiff has existed for several

years. The Home Office has recognised the threat. -- threat,

and dedicated Cardiff for protection. A local group of

Muslims held a protest in Cardiff City centre. UK watch your back!

They are demonstrating against what they say is the threat of -- to

Islam from the West. Keeping a close watch on them are the police,

openly filming the protesters to make sure they don't break the law

and also for intelligence purposes. Four months after that

demonstration three of those protesters were again being watched

by police. This time they were terrorism suspects. They are

Gurukanth Desai and his elder brother Abdul Miah and a fellow

protester. They were arrested and charged with for terrorism offences,

Latif jailed,. All these men involved with a group of Muslims

who protested in Cardiff and call themselves supporter of Tawheed.

They say they want to spread the word of slam by peaceful means. We

wanted to find out more about this group, supporters of Tawheed, who

is involved in what they stand for. Our undercover reporter has made

contact with a member of supporters of Tawheed who calls himself Rofi.

They have met several times. At this stage we're not secreting

filming with our undercover reporter. His story is it's a young

Muslim estranged from his family and interested in learning more

about Islam. My character appealed to this chap, and perhaps to the

wider group, the fact I'm -- I'm vulnerable and have time on -- time

on my hands. They asked me whether I was married, and they said the

reason being to see if I had any ties. It was a unusually question

but it seemed to be relevant to him. They met again and this time Rofi

tells him about his dislike for non-Muslims or Kuffars. Rofi turned

to a Kuffars and said locking Kuffars. They said interfaith was

bollocks. They did not think we Muslims should integrate or talk to

anybody from another faith. Rolf -- Rofi texts our undercover reporter

a link to a website which he says will help him understand the

brothers of knowledge. I was agreeing with a lot of what they

had to say. That anger was started. Someone more vulnerable would be

easily convinced by the series of videos. The website is called

Izharudeen and contains a lot of messages and videos by radical

Muslims. Alex Hitchens is an expert in radicalisation. We asked him to

look at the website. Essentially it's a base for all the teerlts

produced by the movement to try and radical ice recruits and mobilise

people. Directing them to a website would be a very important first

step. A resource that provides a lots of the material that you would

need if you want to convert to extremism slammism. It provides

everything you need. Our undercover reporter has met again with Rofi

and he explains about the leadership. He made references to

his colleagues. He says he has a big beard. He is the leader of the

group who co-ordinates the activities. He's an extremely

knowledgable person. Sajid Idris is a postman for the Royal Mail. He

uses the name Abu Hajar. The only person able to answer the question

is the Muslim. Supporters of Tawheed is a relatively small group.

Estimates suggest there could be up to 100 of them. They want Sharia

law in this country, law determined by the Koran and not man made. They

believe that Islam will dominate the world and they are opposed to

democracy and freedom. They say they are a peaceful organisation,

but you don't have to look too far to find some views not altogether

peaceful. No longer do you have to say you support terrorism. Enough

to say La Ilaha Illallah, you have declared war against everybody else.

You have to believe and have the hatred in your heart. That was

Sajid Idris in a submit in Cardiff called Islamic awakening. Sitting

next to him is a convicted terrorist Izharudeen. He was jailed

in 2008 for four-and-a-half years for incitement for terrorism.

Whether he was released from prison in 2010 members of supporters of

Tawheed were there to welcome him, including Idris. That same year

Idris took to the streets of Swansea to protest against the

burning of the Koran. No longer can you support... No longer can you

say this is a Jihad for the sake of allah it becomes terrorism now...

Back in Cardiff the efforts to find new supporters for the extremist

group goes on. Our undercover reporter is still meeting Rofi.

talks about the meeting and doing study classes. He says in the study

classes you'll learn about the true meaning, the more hardline stuff.

They have engaged me. And sussed me out. And I've been invited to

classes, where they will continue the radicalisation process, and

tinker with the hatred inside of me. The next time we meet Rofi we start

secretly filming him. Just about the Tawheed. The virtues... The the

talk learns to -- turns to study circles or halaqas. When that

happens let me know. No point in me telling you now... This will be

cool. Rofi has sent our undercover reporter links to more websites. We

asked our expert to assess our undercover reporter's relationship

with Rofi. Radicalisation refers to a process, a process by which a

individual or a group come to adopt extreme political or social or

religious ideas that go against or undermine the Status Quo. It's the

process by which they not only begin to believe in the ideas but

also look to act on them. In the context of home grown Jihadist

radicalisation it's the process by which you become convinced that you

are living in a country and a society very hostile to your

religion, and the process in which you become convinced it's your role

to react to this. What do we know about the man who calls himself

Rofi. Last December he was ejected from a mosque in Newport. He and

another man were protesting at the media launch of an anti-extremism

drive in Newport. Rofi is associated with Islamic extremist

groups subsequently banned by the Home Office for glorifying

terrorism. Rofi was keen to be a guide for myself. He said I was the

first person he tried to support, and he was trying to take it in

small steps and not throw me into the deep end. He said he was told

to slow things down with me. He said the term he used was to give

me breadcrumbs, so I'm not overwhelmed. At one meeting Sajid

Idris turned up. He talked about not being afraid to go out and

fight for what you feel is wrong. He thought democracy was a fares.

He said Sajid Idris is good friends with Anjem Choudary. Anjem Choudary

was a leading light in banned Muslim organisations, Islam for UK,

and Muslims against crusades. ex d explained that Sajid Idris is

a follower of Choudary. He and Choudary leads a protest and

prayers against the killing of an war al-Awlaki. Sajid Idris and

Choudary were involved in a Islamic organisation later banned. The man

in the middle is Omar Bakri. Islam is pro-life not against life. Islam

doesn't have something like terrorism in our dictionary. He's a

radical Muslim cleric banned from the UK because his presence is not

conducive to the public good. He lives in the Lebanon where he has

been convicted of terrorism offences. He's a member of Al

Muhajaroun, another Islamic group banned under the terrorism laws.

Our undercover reporter has been introduced to the on line

preachings by Omar Bakri. Rofi tells him to go to a website and

look for a specific chatroom. He's given the exact name and time to

join in. Check out tonight, approximately 9, 10.00. On line at

the same time appear to be two members of supporters of Tawheed

including Sajid Idris. The confidential police report we have

seen says Sajid Idris was considered to be a leader of a

group of Islamic extreme -- extremists in Cardiff banned for

glorifying terrorism. The same group is now called supporters of

Tawheed. The police report voices concerns that the group are in

pursuit of radicalising vulnerable individuals into their movement.

Lord Carlisle advised the government on terrorism laws for

ten years. We showed him some of the videos involving supporters of

Tawheed. There's an implication that terrorism is acceptable.

There's no statement of any kind to say that terrorism is not

acceptable. There is a clear implication in all this that bin

Laden was simply a holy man and not a terrorist. Which is papably

absurd. Lord Carlisle was also concerned that some vulnerable

young Muslims could be radicalised by the extreme views expressed by

the supporters of Tawheed. I don't believe that kind of activity

attracts many people. But it will attract some. The problem we have

is one or two of those young people have the potential to turn into

real terrorists who can cause immense danger to the public

including the Muslim population. Last October two teenagers from

Cardiff were arrested by police 234 Kenya. It was claimed they were

trying to get to Somalia to fight a holy war with a group affiliated to

Al-Qaeda called Al-Shabab. The father of one of the youths went to

find his son. I went to find him to save him from himself. Some within

the local community allege that the supporters of Tawheed were

responsible for brainwashing or radical sighs the two 18-year-olds.

The family of the two youths and the community were so concerned

more than 200 people to discuss their disappearance. The two youths

were arrested by security forces in Kenya. We are grateful that the

authorities are in collaboration with the communities were able to

establish the whereabouts of the two noupblgs -- youths. Until the

two youths arrive back home we are not in a position to make any

further comments. Back to in the UK they were interviewed by South

Wales police but were not charged. The two teenagers insist they were

having an adventure and they had no intention of joining Al-Shabab. We

have been told that a mosque in Cardiff has been working with one

of the youths to help deradicalise them. There have been concerns

expressed about the supporters of Tawheed from within the 30,000

strong community in Cardiff. At every mosque they are banned from

handing out leaflets and holding meetings. But they are allowed to

go there and pray. We have spoken to members of the community who

fear that supporters of Tawheed are targeting vulnerable young Muslims.

What they are preaching is misquoting is the verses of the

Koran and teaching the youngsters about hatred which is not been the

-- within the meanings of Islam. The Islam they were teaching were

different from what real Islam is. He accepts the Muslim community has

not always known how to tackle the problem of extremism. He's

convinced action is now taken. There are people who are very naive

who would fall into the clutches of these individuals and they could

used for their own political ends and that's why the community is

more concerned and the steps they have taken, with their positive and

active roles. Our undercover reporter has been meeting with Rofi

a member of supporters of Tawheed for a couple of months now. Today

they are on their way to prayers when Rofi expresses his disTate for

non-Muslims or Kuffars. -- distaste. After prayers their conversation

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 46 seconds

Rofi then promises to send a -- send a web address for a specific

The video is by Anwar al-Awlaki, the Al-Qaeda suspect killed by an

American drone last year. Online material by al-Awlaki was also said

to have been involved in inspiring the London Stock Exchange bomb

plotters from Cardiff When you direct someone to al-Awlaki is

through his work is convince them that Islam is under great threat

and you have a religious duty to respond with violence. And anybody

who tells you that al-Awlaki is the right preacher to go to, and listen

Our undercover reporter and Rofi continue to keep in touch. Their

meetings stop. During this time two people from Cardiff were arrested

and charged with terrorism offences in two separate operations. Experts

believe that the ideology of Rofi and supporters of Tawheed is very

similar to that of terrorist groups. They have taken their Kew from Al-

Qaeda. They use the same sources and religious interpretations. The

only core difference is Al-Qaeda is focused and on prompting and

organising terrorist attacks in the West. This group for its survival

has to avoid doing that because they won't be able to operate

otherwise. As we have seen with the London Stock Exchange and other

occasions many of their members easily decide to go violent.

wasn't until the arrest of the London bomb plotters, and the two

youths who allegedly tried to join Al-Shabab that more serious

questions begun to be asked about the youths of Cardiff. Supporters

of Tawheed were holding a meeting when police broke it up. During

this action this man Mohamed Abdin was arrested, and jailed for four

months. He shouted at police I'm going to cut your head off and I'm

going to shoot you with a machine gun. Police said they believed that

supporters of Tawheed was linked with another banned Islamic group

called Muslims against crusades. Those events r had one thing in

spon, Supporters of Tawheed. Its leader Sajid Idris has told us that

one of the London Stock Exchange bomb plotters, Abdul Miah attended

their meetings, and also the youths that allegedly went to Somalia. He

denies criminality involving When there's war, the people will

no longer... We asked Lord Carlisle for his opinion on the footing we

showed him. If an extreme right wing organisation was doing what we

have seen on the clips, I've no doubt some of the members would be

arrested for public order offences, and breach of the peace, and

incietding racial hatred. Abu Hamza extremism, they say he's the right

possibility that counter-terrorism laws are breached by the

glorification of the actions of those found to be terrorists.

wanted to put a number of other series allegations to Sajid Idris

concerning his involvement with banned Muslim extremist groups and

convicted terrorists. Sajid Idris declined to do an interview when we

put to him that a young Muslim had been radicalised by his group he

replied I don't think he got very far. We wanted to speak to Rofi but

he refused to answer our questions. I already advised I don't want to

do an interview. We have series allegations, you have been

directing people to hate pretty muchers, and tried to radicalise.

preached Islam by the way it's supposed to be preached. Stkphra

what does that include? No comment. Rofi is continuing to preach on the

streets of Cardiff and last Monday we filmed him in a protest in

London against the American film about the Private morpld -- prophet

Mohamed. Supporters of Tawheed are a visible sight on the streets of

Cardiff, protesting. The Home Office, Welsh government and South

Wales police declined our requests to take part in this programme. The

Home Office told us Cardiff was a priority area to receive funding as

part of the strategy to combat extremist and radicalisation. South

Wales police confirmed they were concerned about the activities of a

small number of people but were able to take action because of the

support of the Muslim community. people understand the real Islam,

the real meaning of Islam, the true Islam, there's no way, no way they

can be extremists N of any sort. This is what we feel our

responsibility is to teach the youngsters what real Islam is and

not let them fall into the hands of the ideologues. My biggest worry is