Chaos erupted in Ilford as two roads became the site of further police raids and investigation. A suspect home at 6 Wingate Road Ilford was cordoned
of with Police tape and a manned police vehicle was stationary on the drive of the property. Masses of reporters and photographers and video cameramen
were hovering waiting to catch any information related to this latest police investigation into the London Bridge terror attack. A man named Rashid
Raja is the main suspect of this investigation.
Meanwhile on St Lukes Road just two roads down and parallel to Wingate Road a road block was causing frustration with visitors to the road and residents
alike. Police allegedly are focusing their investigations on Ummah Gym which is a venue that was being used dually as a centre for Islamic prayers
and providing gym and exercise sessions including boxing lessons via the proprietor. Ummah in Arabic means people or community of common ancestry
and is often used to label the people of Islam. A video uncovered by the Times reveals the terror trio involved in the London Bridge terror attack visited
the gym only days before their violence (click here)
The Times revealed this week that the gym was run by Sajeel Shahid, 41, who allegedly helped to set up weapons training in Pakistan for the suicide
bombers who killed 52 people in London on July 7, 2005.
The gym was using facebook to promote their services but the current page link has been taken down. For now it is unknown if the page was taken down
by the owners of the business or the MET Police.
The unavailable Facebook link for Ummah Gym link can be found by (clicking here)
On this yell.com advert it is noticeable that the venue also purports to be a dojo, which is the name of a hall used for martial arts.
Wilson Chowdhry, Chairman of the British Pakistani Christian Association, said:
“For some time I have been reporting radicalisation emanating from a mosque in Ilford after a series of reports from local Ilford people including Muslims.
“One of the frequenters of the mosque named Ismael would often would threaten me about the martial arts training he was giving to Jihadis and would show me images of several users of the mosque undertaking the ‘sport’. He made out this Jihadist training was all a joke but listening to him was alarming
He would show me videos on his phone in an attempt to intimidate me and often during discussions would use some of the grips he had learned to pressure my wrist. He seemed to want to use this threat to convince me to convert to Islam stating it was safer being Muslim – a failed experiment.
“The man lived just behind the mosque in question and I always found it hard to avoid him as my office is next door. Often Ismael would enter my office unannounced and would just cause me distress for the sake of it. I knew the mosque wanted to buy my property and just thought it was an attempt to scare me away.
“When I reported the issue to local Police I was met with suspicion and disbelief being a Pakistani Christian who campaigns for the rights of minorities in the homeland, I felt they just thought I had a personal angst.
“I spoke with the Imam form the mosque yesterday and told him about the local community apprehension regarding radicalized men in the vicinity of the mosque. He has told me that if it had come to his notice he would have resolved the issue by teaching the true tenements of the Islamic faith that promote peace and tolerance.
“I do not know if the management of the mosque understood clearly enough about the fear of islamists linked to the mosque. However, If they did not recognize the risk despite so many local complaints it would illustrate a lack of desire to tackle the issue. This was most emphasized after a purported knife attack on a local pub landlord form one of the visitors to their mosque, led to a simple denial that he was a regular congregant (click here).
“Moreover an innocent terrified convert from Islam who alleges he lost his faith after hearing hate ideology preached at the mosque, was forced to quit his home due to little assistance from the management and a lack of desire to help exhibited by local Police (click here).
“I never knew the whereabouts of the Jihadi training Centre till today when I learned that Ummah Gym was frequented by the three terrorists involved in the London Bridge Terror attack. The fact the centre was – according to local reports – operating 24 hours a day provided ample opportunity for such clandestine training. Ismael had spoken of how the sessions were held late at night and the yell.com site promoting the gym states their services end at 22:30 – so any out of hours usage would be non-operational . This fits in with the need for more privacy for the zealots to operate in secrecy.
Mr Chowdhry, recalled an incident near the mosque that first brought his attention to a growing number of Islamists linked to the local mosque. He said:
“On one occasion local men threatened to attack me for holding a free public event on the car park of the Prince of Wales Pub adjacent to our offices. At the location we were serving free food and playing music which offended some zealots from the local mosque. It was later established that the acrimony was caused due to their perception that their fasting period of Ramadan was being ruined by the merriment of non-Muslims. They felt under Sharia law it was illegal for us to have an outdoor event and became more infuriated when I explained that in Britain Sharia has no influence.
“I showed them a temporary event notice that proved our community fun day was legitimate and had local authority permission. However the gang of Islamists drew closer and started to surround me. I had a real belief that I was going to be attacked and braced myself for the violence. However all the men from my church gathered behind me and their support changed the climate of the conversation. The backing of other church members had the effect of cooling the desire of the men from the mosque to resort to violence – they realised they were outnumbered and backed away. Many users of the mosque however then glared at me for the rest of the month.
Mr Chowdhry, described the failing of SO15 to take seriously complaints about the extremism emanating from the local mosque., He positioned:
“I eventually reported things to an SO15 officer only days before the Manchester Arena Bomb Attack but was met with apathy and disbelief. I felt I was being interrogated by the two officers before me who tried to persuade me that local mosques were practising due diligence and expelling extremists from within their midst.(click here)
“I was asked to overly justify my claims despite several keep government officials and senior police officers publicly announcing that civilians should report any suspicions however insignificant it might seem. They even suggested I speak to the local Imam to resolve the matter, which I have done despite my genuinely held fears. I have even invited the same Imam to join us at a interfaith harmony event I plan to hold in our town centre to extend a hand of friendship.
“However, I will continue to monitor the situation around the mosque and am sure that the community will continue to use me as a conduit to express any local concerns. For now however, we just want the Police to investigate our concerns and to ensure that their ‘terror investigations’ openly accept the testimony of individuals brave enough to face up to a growing social malaise that if left unchecked with cause further polarisation. Moreover, there are still extremists on the loose and this is a threat to our community and nation. Police must work expediently to arrest the other culprits involved in the devastating London Bridge Terror attack.”
