“Anjem Choudary spent decades radicalizing individuals around the world and has now been brought to justice thanks to relentless collaboration across multiple agencies and countries,” New York Police Department Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counterterrorism Rebecca Weiner said following the sentencing, per the Metropolitan Police. “In today’s borderless world, public safety demands the level of teamwork that defined this historic investigation.”

Along with the NYPD, the Met worked with MI5 and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to form their case against the pair. The investigation was launched in 2021 when the conditions of Choudary’s previous sentence expired. Before long, he was found to be virtually involved with a group called the Islamic Thinkers Society, based out of New York, which resembled Al-Muhajiroun, a banned terror group. Choudary’s main contribution was the delivery of online lectures to followers in North America.

Undercover investigators infiltrated the group and quickly learned that Hussein was acting as Choudary’s “personal assistant,” helping him host lectures and editing documents on his behalf. Authorities were able to piece together a case against the pair via documents, videos, and audio recordings. As the BBC reports, in one instance Choudary was caught on tape telling followers that being “the number one radicaliser in Britain” was “a badge of honour.”