Nazem Abu Salim, imam of the Shihab a-Din mosque in Nazareth, was convicted Sunday of incitement to terrorism and violence, and of support for a terror organization.

Salim, 47, is a popular preacher who often addressed thousands with his Friday sermons. Prosecutors said his ideology is identical to that of Al-Qaeda.

He was arrested in October 2010, and has been under house arrest since.

In addition to promoting his extremist ideology in sermons, Salim was convicted of founding an extremist group called Ansar Allah. The group was declared illegal in July 2011 due to its support for terrorism.

In June 2010 a terrorist cell with Al Qaeda-like ideology was uncovered in Nazareth. The cell had 20 members with varying levels of involvement. Several were convicted of multiple violent crimes, including the murder of taxi driver Yafim Weinstein.

Members of the group were found to have been influenced by Salim’s speeches. (IsraelNationalNews © 2012 04/01/12)