RADICAL hate preacher Anjem Choudary returned to his east London home after spending six months in a bail hostel.

Choudary, 52, was pictured smiling as he strolled along the streets near his east London home following his release.

4 The hate preacher was pictured near his east London home Credit: Louis Wood - The Sun

He was initially sentenced to five-and-a-half-year sentence but only spent three years in prison and a further six months in the bail hostel.

There are now growing fears the banned extremist group Choudary led is posing a renewed threat to national security.

Choudary led the al-Muhajiroun which was banned in the wake of the 7/7 attacks in London in 2005, but has operated under different names.

Supporters of the group carried out a series of terror attacks including the murder of Lee Rigby in 2013 and the London Bridge terror attack in 2017.

A source told The Daily Telegraph: “The group remains a threat to national security but the disruptions have been very effective.

“Choudary is now out and back at home. He is somebody who preferred to stay in the comfort of his home in London and encourage others to go and fight. He is a coward - his are not the actions of a warrior.”

It is understood he returned to his east London home in the past fortnight.

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: “Public protection is our overriding priority when deciding whether an offender should be allowed to relocate from an approved premises.

“This would only be permitted following a robust risk assessment and they remain subject to close monitoring and strict licence conditions, which if breached can see them go back to prison.”

4 He has been released from a five-and-a-half year sentence on strict licence conditions Credit: Louis Wood - The Sun

4 Choudary has been living in a bail hostel since his release from prison Credit: Louis Wood - The Sun

4 The electronic tag around his ankle was clearly visible Credit: Louis Wood - The Sun

The Sun Says WHEN Anjem Choudary was jailed in 2016 for acting as a cheerleader for IS, we asked on this page why he’d been given such a pathetic sentence. “Why, again and again, is our justice system so absurdly lenient on those bent on our slaughter?” we wondered. Today, with this hate preacher out on the streets halfway through his five-and-a-half-year term, along with other extremists, we ask the same question. As the inquest into the London Bridge attack begins, the consequences of going soft on terror should be on all our minds.

Shock recordings reveal Anjem Choudary believes he is duty-bound to continue nurturing terror and attacking British values