Police have launched a murder hunt after the former imam of a notorious London mosque was found shot dead in his car.
Abdul Hadi Arwani, in his late 40s, was found sitting in a dark VW Passat at 11.15am with gunshot wounds to his chest.
An air ambulance was called to the street in Wembley, north west London, but the preacher was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police did not officially identify the dead man, but many of his supporters named him online and paid tribute to the preacher.
Born in Syria, Arwani was a former imam at the An-noor Masjid mosque in Acton, west London and was said to be a passionate critic of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
The mosque hosted a visit from Uthman Mustafa Kamal, the son of hook-handed cleric Abu Hamza, in June 2013.
In November 2013 the mosque was the scene of one of the security services most notorious blunders of recent years.
Terror suspect Mohammed Ahmed Mohamed put on a black burqa, removed his monitoring tag and gave watching spies the slip by jumping in a cab and fleeing the country.
Known for his outspoken views, Arwani had recently complained of death threats, according to mourners.
One man tweeted: “Sheikh Abdul Hadi Arwani shot dead in West London. The Syrian born has born complaining of threats to his life lately.”
Arwani was considered an authority on Islamic marriage contracts and divorce law, working mostly in London.
He had studied at the Faculty of Shariah (Islamic law) in Jordan, and was a teacher in various Islamic seminaries in Slough and London, according to the London College of Islamic Studies.
Mr Arwani was advertised as a speaker at an event at the East London Mosque last June and listed as speaking from Syria.
A spokesman for Scotland Yard said: “Officers believe they know the identity of the man but are waiting for formal identification. His next of kin has been informed.”
An outpouring of grief on social media painted Sheikh Arwani as a caring preacher.
Jihad Kader posted on Facebook: “Sheikh Abdulhadi Arwani was martyred this morning as many of you are aware, shot in Wembley.
“I was fortunate enough to have him as one of my teachers and was also a close family friend, always there to help and ever so humble.
“He was so active, never turning down the opportunity to be involved in good. He was the most optimistic person I ever met, a real inspiration.
Another supporter wrote on twitter: “During a talk, Arwani cried as he recalled how he was forced to kiss Hafez al-Assad’s picture to escape death as a twelve year old boy.”
Another described how the sheikh was always at “the forefront in speaking against injustice as he himself survived the Syrian massacre in the 80’s.”
However, Arwani had also been criticised for “extremist” views and association with the An Noor mosque.
A blog written by the student group “Stand for Peace” accused him of having links to the militant group Jamaat-e-Islami, as well as his association with the An Noor mosque, which the group believes had hosted “the very worst hate preachers in Britain.”
Detectives from the Met Police’s Homicide and Major Crime Command refused to speculate on reasons for the murder.
A police statement said: “At this very early stage detectives retain an open mind regarding the possible motive.”
