Syrian Imam Sheihk Abdul Hadi Arwani ‘shot dead in London’
Mr Arwani was a vocal critic of the Syrian president

By KASHMIRA GANDER , KUNAL DUTTA
The Independent
Tuesday 07 April 2015
Police have launched a murder investigation after a man believed to have been a Syrian preacher was found with gunshot wounds in a car in north-West London today.
The Metropolitan Police have not yet formally identified the man who is in his 40s, but he has been named by local press as Imam Abdul Hadi Arwani. The man’s family have been alerted, according to police.
Mr Arwani was formerly an imam at the An-noor Masjid mosque in Acton, west London, and was a vocal critic of the Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.
Ambulance crews called the police at around 11:15am today, after a man was found with gun shot wounds in a dark-coloured Volkswagen Passat, in Greenhill, junction with The Paddocks, Wembley.
An air ambulance was called, but he was pronounced dead at the scene just over half an hour later, at 11:48am.
Officials will now arrange a post mortem examination into Arwani’s death, and the police have said investigators are retaining an open mind over what sparked the shooting.
Mr Arwani had regularly preached at the An-Noor Mosque in Acton, west London. The mosque has hosted the son of radical preacher Abu Hamza, and was the location for the November 2013 escape of terror suspect Mohammed Ahmed Mohamed, who dressed himself in a burka.
Police sources said it was possible that a feud at the mosque had turned violent.
As news of his death spread on social media last night, tributes were posted on Twitter.
One read: "Former imam of Masjid an-Noor in Acton, Sheikh Abdul Hadi Arwani has been found shot dead in his car. May Allah have mercy on him and accept him."

A spokesperson for the An Noor Mosque told BuzzFeed News that they were "shocked" by the incident.
Mahmoud, a former student of Arwani, told BuzzFeed News that he was “well known among the Muslim community in West London, not just for his Syria activism, but also as a community leader.”
When asked about accusations on extremism, Arwani said that Arwani was "a moderate guy" and "outspoken on extremism, but a promoter of democracy."
Scotland Yard’s Homicide and Major Crime Command has appealed for anyone who may have seen Mr Arwani’s car in the Wembley area on Tuesday morning to get in touch. A spokesman said: “At this very early stage detectives retain an open mind regarding the possible motive.”
Detectives from the Homicide and Major Crime Command are urging members of the public who may have been in the area of Greenhill, junction with The Paddocks, from about 10:00am this morning who may have seen a dark coloured Volkswagen Passat or anything suspicious to get in touch.
Anyone with any information is asked to contact the Incident Room on 020 8358 0400, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111
Inna Lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un! May Allah ta'ala forgive the Shaykh for his shortcomings, illuminate his grave and grant Sabr to family & friends. Did anyone of you know or meet the Shaykh personally? Please tell us more about him, if you did...
Abdul Hadi Arwani: Man charged with murder of imam from Syria shot dead in London
A man has been charged with murdering Abdul Hadi Arwani after the imam was found shot dead in his car in London.
Leslie Cooper, 36, from Brent is in custody and is due to appear at Camberwell Green Magistrates’ Court this afternoon.
Mr Arwani, 48-year-old father of six and prominent critic of President Bashar al-Assad, was found sitting in his car in Wembley on 7 April after being shot in the chest.
His son, Murhaf Arwani, said he left behind an adoring family and congregation “that loved him as much as he loved them”.
“He was the most peaceful man you could ever wish to meet,” he added. Imam AbdulHadi Arwani, pictured delivering a speech during Syria Crisis Week in 2012 Imam AbdulHadi Arwani, pictured delivering a speech during Syria Crisis Week in 2012
“He just loved to help people. He did not care what your background, race or status was. He did not care if you were rich or poor. He just wanted to help people in need.”
Murhaf said his father “thought love and understanding could cure all of the world’s ills” and fought extremism in his community as a “peaceful man in a violent world”.
“I don't know how we will cope without him,” he added.
Originally from Syria, Mr Arwani was a British citizen who was the imam of Acton’s An Noor mosque until early 2011, when he left to run his own business.
A second man has been arrested and a mosque is being searched after a Syrian-born preacher was found shot dead in his car in north-west London.
Abdul Hadi Arwani, a British national, was found dead on 7 April in Wembley. He was believed to be a critic of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad.
Scotland Yard said a 61-year-old man had been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder.
Earlier Leslie Cooper, 36, appeared in court charged with Mr Arwani's murder.
At Camberwell Green Magistrates' Court Mr Cooper, of Nightingale Road, Brent, was remanded in custody to appear at the Old Bailey by Thursday.
As part of the ongoing investigation, officers said they were searching a number of addresses including the mosque at the An Noor Cultural and Community Centre in west London where Mr Arwani had been an imam.
Mr Arwani was found with bullet injuries to his chest in a parked car at the junction of Greenhill and The Paddocks.
The father of six had been an imam at the An Noor mosque in Acton, west London, from 2005 to 2011, and is believed to have attended protests against the Assad regime outside the Syrian embassy in London in 2012.
In 1982, he claimed he was forced to flee Syria after being sentenced to death for photographing damage in his home city of Hama following government suppression of a rebellion.
This cannot be undone and I am sure it will be greatly appreciated.
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