London terror suspect ‘was in Brabant for Eid’

A Syrian 21-year-old arrested in connection with the bomb attack on London Underground came to North Brabant to see his family for Eid, it has been reported.

According to a series of Tweets on Monday night by Arabic Al Aan television reporter Jenan Moussa, Yahyah Farroukh’s brother, sister-in-law and another family member have been granted asylum to live in the Netherlands.

Moussa, who claims to have had an exclusive interview with the family, writes that the unnamed brother was ‘shocked by his arrest’ and couldn’t ‘believe he has anything to do with terrorism.’

5/ Family of #ParsonsGreen suspect told me: “He visited us recently (during Eid) in the Netherlands after father passed away in Egypt.”

— Jenan Moussa (@jenanmoussa) September 18, 2017

Thirty people were injured when a home-made bomb partially exploded in a train at Parsons Green tube station on Friday 15th September.

A day later, an 18-year-old man thought to be an Iraqi orphan was arrested at Dover port and Farroukh was picked up outside a fried chicken shop in Hounslow.

Both young men have been linked to a foster home in Sunbury-on-Thames, which is being searched by British police.

Eid visit

According to Moussa, Farroukh had allegedly visited the Netherlands during the last Eid celebrations in June ‘after [his] father passed away in Egypt.’

A Dutch journalist known to work with Moussa, Harald Doornbos, added on Twitter that the family does not live in an asylum centre but ‘in a normal house.’

No details about their names or exact location have been given, ‘for privacy reasons’ and the family reportedly said they were not contacted by authorities after the arrest. They reportedly said that Farroukh arrived in the UK at the age of 16, via Egypt and Syria, ‘loves the UK [and is studying] to be a journalist’.

The Telegraaf claimed that Dutch anti-terror services are aware of the reports.