Man charged in Britain with murder of Syria-born Muslim cleric, found shot in a parked car

LONDON – British officials say they have charged a man with the murder of a Syria-born Muslim cleric who was shot in London.

The Crown Prosecution Service says 36-year-old Leslie Cooper is charged with killing Abdul-Hadi Arwani, who was found last week in a parked car with gunshot wounds to his chest. Police say Cooper will appear in court later Tuesday.

Paramedics pronounced the 48-year-old Arwani, a former imam at the An-noor mosque in west London, dead at the scene.

Counter-terrorism police officers have been tasked with investigating the murder.

The imam's daughter, Elham Arwani, told the Evening Standard newspaper that Arwani had been critical of Syria's President Bashar Assad, but the family did not believe that was the motive for his killing.