Notorious hate preacher Omar Bakri Muhammad is seen in family photo after Lebanon prison release 

Notorious hate preacher Omar Bakri Muhammad, relaxed on the couch in a pair of slippers, was barely recognizable yesterday after being released after nearly a decade behind bars.

Pictured here for the first time, the extremist who inspired a generation of jihadists after founding a banned terrorist group has been in prison since 2014 when he was arrested for supporting al-Qaeda in Lebanon.

Yesterday, legal sources confirmed that the 64-year-old had finally been released from prison after serving his six-year sentence.

His release has sparked fears in the security services that he could go back to preaching online to brainwash a new generation of British Muslims.

Dr. Alan Mendoza, executive director of the Henry Jackson Society think tank, warned: “Omar Bakri Muhammad was one of the most dangerous extremist preachers in his prime, inspiring many to acts of jihadism.

Omar Bakri Muhammad is pictured talking to reporters in Speaker’s Corner in Hyde Park, 8 September 1996

“If he returns to his previous advocacy, this will be a real security threat to the UK given his proven ability to poison minds with his radical views.” Bakri himself has not yet posted anything online, but news of his release was celebrated by pro-ISIS channels yesterday.

Photos released on social media show the grandfather in the arms of his crying family after he was released last week.

Dressed casually in sweatpants, slippers and a bright yellow T-shirt instead of his trademark white robe, the cleric appeared to have aged considerably since he was last seen in public, with his familiar dark beard now completely white.

Considered one of the most controversial extremist preachers of recent times, Bakri famously declared that the terrorists who led the September 11, 2001 attacks were “magnificent.”

He also expressed his desire to see the black flag of Islam flying over 10 Downing Street, stating: “Terrorism is part of Islam.” For 20 years, Bakri continued to preach hate in Britain by founding al-Muhajiroun, which was later banned along with its numerous offshoots, including Islam4UK and Muslims Against Crusades.

Many of the group’s followers joined the fighting in Syria, and others subsequently planned terrorist attacks in Britain, including the assassination of Fusilier Lee Rigby and the London Bridge knife attacks.

The 7/7 bombers that hit London in July 2005, killing 52 people, were also linked to al-Muhajiroun.

When the government threatened to arrest him for treason, Bakri fled to Lebanon, where his mother lived.

Followers of Bakri’s group then planned terrorist attacks in Britain, including the assassination of Fusilier Lee Rigby and the London Bridge knife attacks. Pictured: Lee Rigby’s killers: Michael Adebolajo (left) and Michael Adebowale (right)

Omar Bakri Muhammad’s group inspired Lee Rigby assassins and London Bridge attackers. Pictured: Police and emergency services respond to the London Bridge attack, 3 June 2017

The Syrian-born Islamist, who had been granted asylum here in 1986, was subsequently expelled from Britain by then Home Secretary Charles Clarke.

In July 2006, he attempted to board a boat for British citizens wanting to leave Lebanon, but was turned away when authorities realized who he was.

In Lebanon, Bakri’s support for Jabhat al-Nusra, al-Qaeda’s franchise in Syria, caught the attention of authorities.

He was detained by the Lebanese National Intelligence Service in May 2014 for endangering national security and sentenced to six years for his involvement in setting up an organization associated with the al-Nusra Front jihadist group and for attempting to training camps in Lebanon.

Bakri was reportedly held in an underground cell in Al Rayaniyeh Prison for much of his imprisonment.

Omar Bakri Muhammad talks to journalists as he arrives for a rally at Finsbury Park Mosque in London, September 11, 2002

To combat chronic overcrowding, a one-year sentence in a Lebanese prison is being reduced to nine months, meaning Bakri has served nearly twice his original term.

While in prison, two of his seven children left Britain and died fighting ISIS.

Yesterday, a pro-ISIS Telegram channel advocating the release of clerics imprisoned on terrorism charges shared a post celebrating Bakri’s release that read, “Sheikh Omar Bakri has been released! Alhamdulillah [praise to Allah].’ Another pro-ISIS channel posted photos of him at home with his family, pointing out that a decorative pillow visible in one of the photos is embroidered with the name of his son Bilal, who died fighting with ISIS.