Police launch Chris Graham Mohammed tweet probe

Non-executive director Chris Graham with former Rangers manager Walter Smith. Picture: SNS

Graham, appointed as a non-executive director on Tuesday, apparently sent the tweet to Anjem Choudary on the day of the Charlie Hebdo attack.

It is alleged that on 7 January, shortly after two gunmen had shot dead 12 people at the offices of the French satirical magazine in Paris, the radical preacher sent a message on Twitter.

It read “freedom of expression does not extend to insulting the prophets of Allah, whatever your views on the events in Paris today!”

Mr Graham is understood to have replied by sending a cartoon depicting the prophet Mohammed engaged in a sexual act with a message reading: “You probably won’t like this one...then”

His Twitter account is now restricted from public view.

Mr Graham, 38, is known among fans for representing the Rangers Supporters Trust and running the Rangers Standard website.

Rangers director Chris Graham in Mohammed tweet probe

The club has now launched its own “robust investigation” into the matter.

A spokeswoman for Police Scotland said: “We are aware of the media reports in relation to comments made on a social media site. We are now carrying out enquiries into this matter.”

Secretary of the Muslim Council of Scotland, Mazhar Khan, said he hoped Rangers took the matter “very seriously” and probed whether “a line had been crossed.”

He said: “We reject all types of insulting and offensive behaviour, especially if it is against people’s religious beliefs or identity.

“We would hope that Rangers take the issue very seriously to establish whether a line has been crossed.

“We would hope that they at least look into this. However, we would leave it to the judgement of Rangers and their board over what action to take.”

Meanwhile Rangers have said in a statement: “The club are aware of Director Chris Graham’s tweet in the aftermath of the Charlie Hebdo atrocity and a robust investigation into this matter is underway.

“Rangers would like to stress that we strongly disagree with intolerance of a religious or racist nature.”