MQM founder arrested in London
- By Farid Ahmed (Qureshi) -
- Jun 11, 2019
LONDON: Scotland Yard on Tuesday arrested Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) founder and leader of its London chapter Altaf Hussain from his residence in the British capital, ARY News reported.
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According to initial details, Altaf Hussain was taken into custody over a 2016 “anti-Pakistan” speech and he has been moved to a nearby police station.
The MQM founder was arrested after a 15-member Scotland Yard team raided his house early in the morning.
“A man has today, Tuesday, 11 June, been arrested in connection with an investigation into a number of speeches made by an individual associated with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) in Pakistan,’ reads a statement issued by London Metropolitan Police.
The police statement says that the man, who is aged in his 60s, was arrested at an address in north west London. He was arrested on suspicion of intentionally encouraging or assisting offences contrary to Section 44 of the Serious Crime Act 2007.
“As part of the investigation, officers are carrying out a search at the north west London address. Detectives are also searching a separate commercial address in north west London. The investigation, which is being led by officers from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, is focused on a speech broadcast in August 2016 by an individual associated with the MQM movement in Pakistan as well as other speeches previously broadcast by the same person. Throughout the investigation, officers have been liaising with Pakistani authorities in relation to our ongoing enquiries,” reads the police statement.
It is pertinent to note here that MQM founder was currently only leading the party’s politically defunct London chapter.
Lahore High Court had already banned media coverage of his speeches in the year 2015 while his own party distanced itself from him and his statements after his August 22, 2016 speech in which he raised anti-state slogans and provoked workers to attack media organisations’ offices in Karachi.