Radical London al-Qaeda cleric free to roam Britain

Mohammed Emwazi or also known as 'Jihadi John'. Photo / AP

Hani al-Sibai, an al-Qaeda cleric suspected of radicalising "Jihadi John" is free to stroll through Britain's cities.

Security services are understood to be investigating links between Hani al-Sibai and the west London terror network in which Jihadi John - unmasked as Mohammed Emwazi - operated.

It is claimed that al-Sibai had "captivated" a number of young Muslim men who subsequently went abroad to fight jihad.

In a court case last year, he was accused of having "provided material support to al-Qaeda and conspired to commit terrorist acts", an allegation he denies.

Despite being officially identified as an affiliate of the notorious terror network, al-Sibai, citing his human rights, has thwarted government attempts to deport him for more than 15 years.

Instead, the Egyptian-born cleric lives in a leafy street in fashionable west London in the same neighbourhood where Emwazi and his fellow jihadists in the London Boys terror cell hung out.

The London Boys was the name given to a "sleeper cell", set up by Osama bin Laden, whose members were sent to training camps in Somalia and ordered back to the UK to carry out attacks.

It is not clear what contact, if any, al-Sibai, 54, had with Emwazi but he posts radical material on websites he runs, which are said to be highly influential on young jihadists.