ISLAMIC STATE EXTREMISTS CALLED IMAM 'VOLDEMORT'

INQUIRY HEARS PAIR PLOTTED TO KILL CLERIC OVER BLACK MAGIC" CLAIM

- PAT HURST

TWO Islamic State extremists who planned the murder of an imam referred to him as ‘Voldemort’ who was engaging in ‘black magic’, a public inquiry heard.

Father-of-seven Jalal Uddin, 71, died in a ‘brutal and ferocious’ attack with a hammer in a children’s play area in Rochdale, on February 18, 2016, because his religious practices were deemed sacrilegious by his killers.

An inquiry examining whether intelligence failures contributed to Mr Uddin’s death by failing to spot and stop his extremist killers, sat in public for the first time today.

The hearing, at Liverpool Crown Court, first sat at the start of the month to hear evidence in “closed” sessions, not open to press or public.

Inquiry chairman Judge Thomas Teague KC ruled some evidence must not be made public and heard only in private sessions to prevent harm to the detection and prevention of terrorism and public safety.