Two ISIS killers 'stalked' a Muslim leader they called 'Voldemort' for six months, stole his religious books and then murdered him after he was pictured with local MP Simon Danczuk, a court heard today.

Jalal Uddin, 71, was allegedly beaten to death by Mohammed Hussain Syeedy, 22, and Mohammed Abdul Kadir, 24, who compared him to the evil wizard in Harry Potter and called his faith healing 'black magic', a jury was told.

The men allegedly 'stalked' their victim in a car before caving in his skull and face with a hammer in a Rochdale park after he left his local mosque following evening prayers in February.

Syeedy, who is on trial for murder at Manchester Crown Court, denies murder and his alleged accomplice Kadir has fled abroad and could be in Syria.

Plot: Two ISIS supporters decided to murder Jalal Uddin after they saw this photograph of the former imam – who they regarded as a 'magician' - with Rochdale MP Simon Danczuk (on the right) at the end of last year, a court heard today

The men started their surveillance of Mr Uddin in August last year - six months before the murder - believing he was practising 'magic' ISIS extremists believe should be punished with death.

They and their associates carried out secret surveillance to establish where he was living and in August 2015 raided the mosque where he kept his books of 'spells' and other precious religious materials.

On September 6 'covertly-recorded' footage of Mr Uddin was sent to Syeedy's phone, and showed the victim, wearing a white head scarf, walking past the window.

Syeedy and Kadir initially plotted to report Mr Uddin to immigration authorities in the hope he would be deported back to Bangladesh for overstaying his visa, prosecutor Paul Greaney QC said.

However he said their intention turned to murder after they saw a photograph of the former imam – who they regarded as a 'magician' - with Rochdale MP Simon Danczuk at the end of last year.

A friend shared it with Syeedy on Whatsapp with the message 'Oh c**p… Voldermort never gonna be busted by immigration now', Mr Greaney said – a reference to the evil wizard in the Harry Potter stories and films.

He added that the 'inference' was that they believed his being associated with an MP meant the deportation plan might not work.

Eight weeks later, the pair put their murderous plan into effect, Manchester Crown Court was told.

Crime scene: Mr Uddin was found with severe fractures to his skull administered with a hammer as he walked past a children's play area near Rochdale town centre

Syeedy is said to have driven the getaway car while his friend Kadir struck the fatal blows to kill and also 'humiliate' the Muslim scholar, it was said.

Mr Uddin died 'without ever regaining consciousness and without ever being able to say who had attacked him, or why', the court heard.

Victim: Jalal Uddin, 71, was allegedly murdered by 'Isis supporters' Mohammed Hussain Syeedy, 22, and Mohammed Abdul Kadir, 24, who had been 'motivated by hatred'

The murder victim was a practitioner of a form of Islamic faith healing called Ruqya which involved the use of charms to bring good luck, good health and deter evil spirits.

Jurors were told that Syeedy and Kadir had been ISIS supporters and believed that those who practised Ruqya should be killed.

The men appear to have spent several months following and photographing their victim before they finally beat him to death in February this year.

Addressing the 12 jurors, prosecutor Mr Paul Greaney QC said: 'ISIS regards this practice as black magic and adheres to the view that those who engage in it deserve severe punishment even death.'

He added: 'Who hated a decent man like Jalal Uddin with such virulence?'

He continued: 'The answer to that important question is to be found in the twisted ideology of ISIS, sometimes known as Islamic State'.

Syeedy and Kadir had discovered that Mr Uddin was a Ruqya practitioner in the summer of 2015 and began to stalk him having 'developed a hatred of him', he said.

Mr Uddin was found seriously injured by two young girls shortly before 9pm on February 18, 2016, as they entered the park and discovered him on the ground.

He was taken to hospital from the scene in South Street but died a short time later.

Mr Greaney said that it was on this evening that 'events reached a climax' as the men 'stalked Jalal Uddin around the streets of Rochdale.'

Brutal: Syeedy is said to have driven the getaway car while his friend Kadir struck the fatal blows to kill and also 'humiliate' the Muslim scholar, it was said

The court heard that in Syeedy's car, the two followed him as Mr Uddin left the Jalalia Mosque where he had been praying before going to a friend's house for a meal and walking home.

Mr Greaney added: 'As Jalal Uddin entered the park on the final leg of his journey home, Kadir left the defendant's car and ran in after this man in his seventies, attacking him with a weapon, probably as I have said, a hammer striking blows to his head and face.'

Kadir then ran to the other side of the park where he was picked up by Syeedy and spirited away 'having carried out a killing that was the result of hatred and intolerance', the prosecutor said.

Jurors were told that the defendant accepts that Kadir murdered Mr Uddin and admits that he was with Kadir both before and after the killing.

Mr Greaney continued: 'However we anticipate that he will maintain that he had no idea that Kadir was going to attack Jalal Uddin before it happened and he will claim therefore that he played no part in the murder.

'The defendant will claim also that he does not support ISIS or violent extremism of any type.'

On the day of the killing jurors were told how the pair had exchanged text messages that afternoon with Kadir agreeing to come to Rochdale from Oldham in his Nissan Micra.

CCTV captures its arrival near to the defendant's home in Ramsay Street, parking up at 6.32pm.

Mr Greaney said: 'Just over two hours later at 8.43pm Kadir was being picked up by the defendant outside the park having carried out his fatal attack upon Jalal Uddin.'

The court heard that after Kadir's arrival at Ramsay Street he got into the passenger seat of Syeedy's Astra before visiting a petrol station.

At around 7.35pm the prosecution say that the two men were involved in a reconnaissance at the mosque to check that Mr Uddin was within the mosque.

The Astra is then driven back to Ramsay Street where a man the prosecution say was the defendant, retrieved something from the property, the prosecution say was the weapon.

In the dock: Mohammed Syeedy, who is on trial for murder at Manchester Crown Court and arrested in this street, denies murder and his alleged accomplice Kadir has apparently fled abroad

Meanwhile Mr Uddin was captured on CCTV leaving the mosque heading in the direction of South Street to take his evening meal.

The Astra was seen driving past Mr Uddinn before turning and driving past him again.

MUCH-SCHOLAR WAS MURDERED FOR HIS BELIEFS Jalal Uddin was weeks aways from his 72nd birthday when he was murdered. He had been born in Bangladesh and from an early age had attended a religious school known as a Madrasa where he learnt the Quran. Mr Uddin was to later become an Islamic scholar who at the age of about 20 secured his first job as an Imam. Following examinations he later gained the title of Qari Saab. In Bangladesh he was to work in various locations as an Imam and went on to marry and start a family. In 2002 he moved to the UK where he worked as an Imam in Birmingham and later Rochdale. It was in Greater Manchester where he came to work at the Jalalia Mosque. However by 2016 Mr Uddin - still strongly associated with the mosque praying there five times a day, he was no longer working there. Mr Uddin, although making a positive contribution to the community had been in the country illegally and had been for a number of years. He would not settle at any particular address for long and stayed with different members of the community who were happy to support him because of his status. At the time of his death, Mr Uddin had been staying in Samson Street in Rochdale, the property of a family who had left the house vacant whilst caring for a family member elsewhere. Mr Uddin tended to visit another address in Trafalgar Street for meals which was opposite the Jalalia Mosque. For his evening meal he would eat at an address in South Street before walking back to the property in Samson Street. This had been a regular routine, of which would take him through the Wardleworth Play Park as it is formally known and where he was to be killed. Advertisement

Following Mr Uddin's meal at South Street, he began to walk home at around 8.40pmand as he did so he passed the Astra.

Mr Greaney said: 'At 8.41 pm the Astra left its parking space with its lights off and performed a U-turn driving in the same direction Jalal Uddin was walking.

'There is no other way of describing what was happening than that the defendant and Kadir were stalking Jalal Uddin.

'It is obvious moreover that Kadir had the weapon he was to use to kill Jalal Uddin with him in the car. Accordingly on the account of the defendant, his friend must have concealed not his intention but also his possession of a weapon. We suggest that when you consider all of the evidence you will easily be able to reject that. indeed the likelihood is that the defendant supplied the weapon as we have explained.'

After Mr Uddin had entered the park, Kadir, now out of the car, began to jog into the park in pursuit of Mr Uddin.

By 8.43pm the Astra was on the other side of the park where it picked up Kadir.

Mr Greaney added: 'In the minute in between, Kadir had attacked Jalal Uddin, striking him repeated blows to the head and face with his weapon, as we have said a number of times, probably hammer. The hammer was not found within the park and Kadir must therefore have got back into the car with it.

'Nonetheless the defendant asks you to accept that he was absolutely clueless that this attack was going to happen. Why had he agreed as is plainly the case to pick him up from precisely the point at which he emerged?'

The court was told that within three minutes Kadir, having returned back to his Micra in the Astra was in his car and returning back to Oldham.

Mr Greaney added: 'The prosecution case is that Kadir and the defendant had achieved their joint aim. Jalal Uddin was dying on the floor of the park.'

The court was told of the moment Mr Uddin was discovered by the two young girls.

One ran to get help from her medical student brother whilst the other called 999 on her mobile phone whilst tending to injured Mr Uddin.

The court heard that the girl's brother who had attended at the scene realised that Mr Uddin had been assaulted and tried his best to keep him alive before paramedics and police arrived.

Mr Uddin died a short time after in hospital, without ever regaining consciousness.

At the scene locals were able to identify Mr Uddin, many knowing him as 'Qari Saab' - a term of respect reflecting his deep knowledge and understanding of the Koran.

A post mortem examination revealed that he had suffered multiple injuries to his head and face, with the bones of his face badly fractured.

Mr Greaney said that his attacker had focused the violence to those areas and that a hammer had 'probably' been used.

He continued: 'Jalal Uddin's skull had been forced into his brain by a blow form the weapon, causing damage to the brain itself.

'These injuries were plainly not the result of a robbery gone wrong. On the contrary they were obviously the result of an attack that was planned, motivated by hatred and by a desire to humiliate Jalal Uddin and undoubtedly intended to kill or at the very least cause really serious harm.'

The prosecutor told jurors that after hearing all of the evidence in the trial they could be sure that he had driven Kadir to the gates, 'knowing full well that Kadir intended to attack Jalal Uddin so to kill him him or at least cause him really serious harm and that he therefore intentionally assisted and encouraged that attack.

Jurors were shown samples of images recovered from Syeedy's black iPhone which the prosecution say demonstrates that he was a supporter of ISIS.

Five days after the murder, Syeedy's home in Ramsay Street in Rochdale, was searched by police who seized his phone.

Jurors were shown samples of some of the images and videos which had been recovered including images of a child brandishing a knife in front of an ISIS flag, pictures of a fighter carrying an ISIS flag and men raising a single index finger to the sky which has been adopted by ISIS.

They were also shown pictures of the defendant and his friends making the ISIS salute and asked to consider if they were making a legitimate religious gesture or whether they are demonstrating their support of ISIS.

Mr Greaney said: ''The defendant's adherence to ISIS explains what motivated the killing and forms part of what demonstrates that the defendant was no innocent during the events of February 18. He was rather someone fully engaged in and playing a part in those events motivated by hatred.'

The court heard that the defendant had also received images of Mr Uddin.