Officers are searching a house in west Sussex where a man believed to have carried out a suicide bombing at a Syrian prison is thought to have lived.
Abdul Waheed Majeed, 41, who used the name Abu Suleiman al-Britani, is reported to have driven a lorry into a prison in Aleppo (see picture above) and detonated a bomb, which would make him the first Briton to carry out a suicide attack in Syria.
The house where he is believed to have lived in Martyrs Avenue, Langley Green, Crawley is currently being searched.
In a bizarre twist, the house is the former home of Roy Whiting, who murdered seven-year-old Sarah Payne in 2000, according to the Crawley News. Whiting, who was jailed for life, is reported to have lived there with his father.
Channel 4 News Home Affairs Correspondent Darshna Soni writes:
Behind the closed curtains of a semi-detached house in Crawley, anti-terror police have spent the day searching for clues.
The investigation is being led by the South East Counter-Terrorist Unit.
I understand that a major line of inquiry is the links Mr Majid had with members of a group convicted for the fertiliser bomb plot in 2007.
There's no suggestion Mr Majid was involved in that plot. But I understand he was in the same study circle as Omar Khyam, jailed for life for that plot in 2007.
I was here reporting for Channel 4 News in Crawley when Khyam and his group were arrested. Many of their home addresses happen to be just a two-minute walk from Mr Majid's home.
Relatives and community leaders say they are praying Majeed was not involved in the bombing. The father of three left Britain six months ago, telling his family he was going to Syria on a humanitarian mission.
Arif Syed, a community leader in Crawley, said Majeed would phone or Skype his family every three days, but communication was lost about seven days ago.
Mr Syed said he hoped to learn that Majeed was not behind the attack in Aleppo. He said: “We have got our hopes high. We are praying that he will walk through the door. It’s a good possibility that he’s still alive and well, and is just not communicating.
“We live with this hope until the authorities confirm, or we get eye-witnesses that say it was him. We strongly hope and believe that he is alive and well, and that he will join his family.”
Neighbour Nita Bateman said she was shocked a suicide bomber could have lived there. She said: “When I became very ill, he was always willing to help, and he would do my neighbour’s hedges.
“I’m beginning to wonder whether it’s something to do with that house. He was the next person to move in after Roy Whiting’s dad moved out.
“I know he was born in West Green, just up the road from here. I have lived here for 20 years, and after all the hoo-ha with Roy Whiting, he moved in soon afterwards.
“I didn’t really see him on a daily basis, but you would never have a bad word to say about him. He was just a pleasant chap. I would say I’m shocked, but you just don’t know what goes on behind closed doors.”
Another neighbour, who declined to be named, said he believed the man had a son aged around 17.
He said: “He was just a quiet guy. Whenever I saw him, he was either working on his car or doing other stuff. Sometimes I would see him drive off in a maintenance lorry. Whenever I saw him, I would nod my head and say hello.”
Counter-terrorism teams have grown increasingly concerned about the trend of young British Muslims travelling to Syria to fight with jihadi groups against the Assad regime. There are fears they could pose a security risk if they return to Britain.