The high-profile Islamist activist Anjem Choudary was one of the men charged on Wednesday with inviting support for 'Islamic State" (IS).

The 48-year-old was accused of using lectures which were published online for encouraging support for the group, which has taken over swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq. Police also charged Mohammed Mizanur Rahman, 32, with the same offence.

"Following an investigation by the Metropolitan Police's Counter Terrorism Command, we have today authorized charges…" said Sue Hemming, Head of Special Crime and Counter Terrorism at the Crown Prosecution Service.

The offenses were said to have occurred between June 2014 and March this year. The two men, who in September were arrested by counter terrorism officers on suspicion of being IS members, were due to appear before magistrates on Wednesday.

Choudary rose to prominence in the UK as the leader of a banned radical group called al-Muhajiroun. The group - which was known for glorifying the perpetrators of the 911 attacks on New York - was disbanded in 2004. However, it is believed to have operated under various aliases since, notably Islam4UK, which was banned as part of a series of measures against condoning terrorism.

rc/jil (AP, Reuters)