Thread by @concretemilk, THREAD: Moazzam Begg is the "Outreach Director" and public face of "advocacy [...]

THREAD: Moazzam Begg is the "Outreach Director" and public face of "advocacy group" @UK_CAGE. He has traded on & lamented the fact that he is - in his own words - "a full time terror suspect."

There are however, good reasons for viewing Begg in this way.
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In the mid-90's Begg had a conspicuous habit of popping up in the middle of war zones - notably Chechnya and Bosnia where he attended a jihadi training camp and readily admits to participating in the fighting.
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In 1998 Begg founded the Maktabah Al Ansar bookshop regularly frequented by jihadists for its extremist material. It was described by the CIA as "a known jihadist gathering place" and reported as having sold its literature to "almost every major terrorist in Britain."
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Begg's home was raided in 1994 by anti-terrorism police who discovered a bundle of extremist literature along with a flak jacket and infra-red nightvision goggles which Begg claimed he needed for his "charity work" - a ruse oft adopted by jihadists.
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This raid was in relation to benefit fraud conducted by Begg's life long friend later jailed for terrorism offences in Yemen - and with Begg's suspected collusion, the proceeds of which were donated to Abu Hamza's group. Hamza is serving life in the U.S for terror offences.
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In 2001 Begg took his family to live under the Taliban who he praised as "better than anything Afghanistan has had in the past 25 years" and celebrated their commitment to "old Islamic values."
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During the U.S invasion of Afganistan, Begg spent several days in the Tora Bora mountains at the same time Al-Qaeda, the Taliban & likely Osama Bin Laden himself were forming a stronghold in the cave networks there.

Begg's story is that he was moving home and got lost.
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Moazzam Begg was subsequently found to be the recipient of an unspecified sum of money from a Pakistani bank, the documentation of which was discovered in the wreckage of a destroyed Al-Qaeda camp amongst bomb making manuals and cyanide canisters.
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Upon his 2002 arrest, Begg confessed to attending, assisting, funding, and participating in terror training camps in the UK, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. He later announced that his confession was coerced - a claim rejected by 4 separate government enquiries.
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His confession stated that he was "armed & prepared to fight alongside the Taliban & Al-Qaeda against the U.S" and that he had "knowingly provided comfort & assistance to Al-Qaeda members and helped distribute Al-Qaeda propaganda and received members for terrorist camps".
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Begg has also happily admitted to helping organise a training camp in Syria where he instructed the recruits in physical fitness, first aid, and military combat.

Begg denies that these actions constitute terrorism.
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"He (Begg) has strong, long-term ties to terrorism - as a sympathiser, as a recruiter, as a financier, and as a combatant." - U.S Defence Department spokesman Bryan Whitman.
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"Begg is, at best, a veteran of the Bosnian jihad who has trained in Afghanistan and donated money to Al-Qaeda training camps. At worst, he is a former Al-Qaeda operative who fought in a war against the United States after 9/11." - Counterterrorism analyst Robin Simcox.
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Begg has since made it his lifes work to defend jihadists, to downplay the threat they pose, to whitewash their beliefs, goals, and actions, and to frustrate the means by which terrorists are prevented from committing atrocities or brought to justice for doing so.
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Moazzam Begg is but one highly dubious character in the employ of CAGE - an organisation overflowing with highly dubious characters. He is an extremist and credible terror suspect, and any reasonable person should have nothing whatsoever to do with him or his organisation.
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