Woolwich Suspect Michael Adebolajo's Friend Abu Nusaybah Charged with Terror Offences

Abu Nusaybah, a friend of Michael Adebolajo, one of the suspects in the killing of Lee Rigby, has been charged with three counts of terrorism.

The charges relate to videos of lectures and written material. They are not linked to the death of the soldier in Woolwich.

Nusaybah, who is also known as Ibrahim Abdullah-Hassan, will appear at Westminster Magistrates Court on a date to be set.

He faces allegations that on or before 24 May he "published or caused another to publish" five video-recorded lectures called In Pursuit of Allah's Governance on the Earth, intending or being reckless as to whether members of the public would be encouraged to commit or instigate acts of terrorism.

There are two further counts against Nusaybah: that he had allowed access to a video lecture by Khalid al-Husainan and to a text called Reality of the Rulers by Abu Zubair Adil al-Adab.

Adab is a shariahofficial for al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula.

US intelligence officials reported that Husainan, a prominent member of al-Qaida's religious committee, was killed in a recent drone strike in Pakistan's tribal areas.

According to the Crown Prosecution Service's counter-terrorism unit, Nusaybah's conduct could be intended as a "direct or indirect encouragement to the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism".

Nusaybah was arrested on 24 May outside the BBC's New Broadcasting House in central London immediately after recording his interview with Newsnight. During the programme, he claimed that Michael Adebolajo had been offered a job by MI5.