Syrian held over Parsons Green bucket bomb loves Britain, claims his brother

Suspect: Yahyah Faroukh, who lived with Ronald and Penelope Jones in Surbiton
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The family of one of the Parsons Green terror suspects spoke of their shock at his arrest, saying “he loves the UK”, it was reported today.

As detectives were granted more time to question Syrian refugee Yahyah Faroukh, his brother was reported as saying: “I can’t believe he has anything to do with terrorism.”

The 21-year-old, who came to the UK in 2013, was arrested by undercover officers as he left work at a fast food restaurant in Hounslow on Saturday.

In a series of tweets last night Jenan Moussa, a reporter for the Arabic Al Aan TV station, revealed she had spoken with Faroukh’s brother and sister-in-law, who live in the Netherlands.

A police forensic tent at the scene of the attack at Parsons Green station
PA

His brother said: “I’m shocked by his arrest. He’s ambitious, loves the UK, studies to be journalist.” He said he had spoken to his brother last week when he seemed normal.

He said: “My brother is only a suspect. Hope he’ll be cleared soon.” His sister-in-law added: “He wouldn’t hurt an ant.”

Thirty passengers were injured when a homemade bomb in a Lidl bag partially exploded on a rush-hour District line train at Parsons Green station on Friday morning.

Emergency workers help people to disembark a train near the Parsons Green
Pool via AP

An 18-year-old Iraqi refugee, suspected of planting the device, is being questioned after he was arrested at the port of Dover on Saturday as he tried to buy a ferry ticket.

Police have now been granted an extension to question the 18-year-old until Saturday and Faroukh until Thursday.

Detectives and forensic experts were today still searching the house where he had been fostered by Ronald Jones, 88, and his wife Penelope, 71, as well as Faroukh’s house in Stanwell near Heathrow airport.

According to Ms Moussa, Faroukh and his family left Damascus in 2012 at the height of the Syrian civil war and moved to Egypt.

Forensic officers at work at the scene of the blast
PA

The following year he is said to have travelled alone by boat from Egypt to Italy and arrived in the UK as a 16-year-old unaccompanied refugee.

He is believed to have also been placed with the Jones family and lived there until earlier this year. Police and intelligence agencies are investigating if the two suspects met overseas or at the Sunbury foster home.

Faroukh’s brother told Ms Moussa he had not been contacted by the Dutch or UK authorities since the arrest, adding: “He visited us recently (during Eid) in the Netherlands after [our] father passed away in Egypt.”

The development came as fresh CCTV footage appearing to show the suspect on his way to plant his homemade device was discovered.

The video shows a figure dressed in grey carrying a distinctive white Lidl carrier bag outside Ecco La Vera pizzeria in Vicarage Road in Sunbury-on-Thames around 80 minutes before the explosion.

There were claims today that the teenage suspect was reported to the counter terrorism strategy Prevent in the months before the attack.

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