Cleric Anjum Chaudhry, long a thorn in the side of British authorities, was released from prison on Friday having served half his sentence for encouraging support for the militant Islamic State group, British media reported. The 51-year-old was jailed for five-and-a-half years in 2016 and will serve the rest of his sentence under strict supervision orders having been released from Belmarsh prison, near London. He is expected to return to his home in Ilford, east of London, although will not be able to use any internet-enabled devices without permission, the BBC reported. Other restrictions are reported to include bans on leaving Britain without permission and on attending certain mosques and he will only be allowed to meet with people approved by the police. Chaudhry is the former head in Britain of Islam4UK or al-Muhajiroun, a now-banned group co-founded by Omar Bakri Muhammad that called for Islamic law in the United Kingdom. Published in Daily Times, October 20th 2018.