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A British boxing champion who converted to Islam has posted a video online justifying the beheading of American journalist James Foley.

Former British and Commonwealth light middleweight title holder Anthony Small said barbaric killing was pay-back for the “United Snakes of America” attacking the Islamic State.

In an astonishing seven minute rant, the fighter warns that if Britain follows America then the UK will come under attack from jihadi “sleeper cells” already in the UK.

Small, now 33, converted to Islam at the age of 24 and is now known as Abdul-Haqq.

It is claimed he is a follower of firebrand preacher Anjem Choudary and was a member of the banned radical group Al-Muhajiroun/Islam4UK.

In a video uploaded to YouTube, he said: “We have to be objective and non-biased, that the beheading of James Foley, Mr. Beheaded infidel, not to be disrespectful to him or his family, I can’t remember his name, Mr Infidel, it wasn’t unprovoked.

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“I say the exact same thing I said about Lee Rigby: people getting heads removed is an abnormal situation. It needs to be prevented. But we have to be objective.

“I don’t want to say unprovoked because they could say I’m glorifying terrorism, but it was a retaliation, from the own words of those who conducted it, they said, not me said, they said it’s a retaliation.”

James Foley was beheaded by an Islamic State fighter on August 19 after being held prisoner for almost two years.

British soldier Lee Rigby was hacked to death on May 22 2013 by British terrorists Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale as he made his way back to his army barracks in Woolwich, south east London.

In April 2011 Small attacked further controversy after he denounced British Boxer Amir Khan for being an apostate and outside the fold of Islam.

The former pugilist attracted controversy when he took part in a march in Barking, East London, to protest against the British presence in the war in Afghanistan.

He joined with around 50 other demonstrators who called themselves ‘Muslims Against Crusades’, which is a new front for al-Muhajiroun/Islam4UK, at the march on 15 June 2010.