The investigation into the killing of a Syrian-born preacher in London has escalated after two people were arrested on suspicion of terror offences.
Abdul Hadi Arwani, who had been imam at the An-Noor mosque in West London between 2005 and 2011, was found behind the wheel of his car in the Greenhill area of Webley last Tuesday morning. He had been shot in the chest five times.
After a rapidly moving investigation by Scotland Yard’s SO15 counter-terror detectives, a 53-year-old woman and a 61-year-old-man were arrested on Wednesday evening under suspicion of the instigation of terror acts realting to the fatal shooting.
Prior to these arrests, Jamaican businessman, Leslie Cooper, 36, was charged on Tuesday with murdering Arwani
In a brief hearing at the Old Bailey on Thursday morning, in which No5 Barrister Earl Pinnock instucted, Cooper was told he faces a three-to-four week trial starting on 12 October.
Detectives are investigating whether Arwani was involved in a dispute over money with the An-noor mosque, where he was ousted in 2011 and formally quit as a director the following year. However, the arrests on Wednesday evening show that police are still considering whether the killing was terror-inspired.
Metropolitan police officers outside the An-noor mosque on Thursday said the search would continue as long as necessary
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