Mother of refugee detained then freed after Parsons Green attack 'had heart attack over arrest'
Colleagues demand apology as mother ‘in critical condition’ and workplace receiving abuse
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The mother of a Syrian refugee detained and then freed over the Parsons Green bombing has suffered a heart attack through the shock of her son’s arrest, his employer has said.
Yahyah Farroukh was held for five days by counter-terror police before being released without charge.
Friends said his mother remains in a critical condition at a hospital in Egypt, where Mr Farroukh’s father died earlier this year.
The 21-year-old’s family had denied he supported terrorism and said he loved living in the UK, where he arrived after crossing the Mediterranean on a refugee boat in 2013.
Mr Farroukh was arrested outside Aladdins Fried Chicken, in Hounslow, where managers described him as a normal young man showing no signs of radicalisation.
They have demanded a “fully unreserved apology” from the Metropolitan Police, accusing the force of labelling Mr Farroukh “a terrorist to the world”.
Suleman Sarwar, one of the takeaway’s owners, said it had received “abuse, threats, anger, and hatred” after Mr Farroukh was locally identified to the press.
“The investigation brought Yahyah, his friends, family, place of employment and the wider Muslim community under scrutiny and indignity,” he added.
“Once again, the community has received backlash and animosity from the public.”
Mr Sarwar’s colleagues previously told The Independent they had “not even an inkling” of suspicious behaviour from Mr Farroukh.
He had been fostered by the same couple who took in an 18-year-old Iraqi refugee, Ahmed Hassan, who has been charged over the terror attack on 15 September.
Mr Hassan, who was detained in the port of Dover the following day, is accused of attempted murder and explosives offences.
He and Mr Farroukh are believed to have been taken in at different times by a British couple known for their dedication to fostering.
Penelope and Ronald Jones, aged 71 and 88 respectively, were made MBEs for services to children and families in 2009 and have fostered hundreds of children.
Mr Farroukh moved out of their home in Sunbury-on-Thames earlier this year and relatives said he was hoping to become a journalist, after studying English at West Thames College between December 2013 and June 2015.
While he was in custody, his brother Hamed described him as a “good guy” who “would not hurt anyone”.
“My father, God bless his soul, brought us up to live decently and with high morals. Yahyah has never mingled with bad guys or militants or Daesh [Isis] people,” he told Mail Online.
His sister, Safa'a, added: “Yahyah is innocent, we know he is. He could never hurt a fly. Why would he hurt the family that adopted him or the country that welcomed him?”
The family said they left the Syrian capital of Damascus in 2012 and moved to Egypt, Mr Farroukh fled the following year.
The Metropolitan Police said Mr Farroukh and a 48-year-old man arrested in Newport would face “no further action” in connection with the attempted attack in Parsons Green.
Cressida Dick, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, confirmed the device contained a powerful explosive and was packed with shrapnel.
It failed to properly detonate, sending a fireball hurtling through a packed District Line carriage in the height of morning rush hour and injuring 30 victims.
Mr Hassan has been remanded in custody following a hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court.
Three other men, aged 17, 25 and 30, remain in custody under section 41 of the Terrorism Act in connection with the investigation, which is being led by the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command.
Searches are ongoing at one address in Surrey and two properties in Newport, including one used to house asylum seekers.
The 25-year-old man arrested has been identified as an Iraqi Kurd known locally as Bilal, with friends saying they “can’t believe” he would be involved in the atrocity.
The painter and decorator used a Facebook account with the profile name Mahdi Rahimi, locals and friends confirmed.
“He is a very good guy, I can’t believe this. He is Kurdish, he describes terrorists like Isis as stupid,” a neighbour said.
“He is hard-working and helpful. He has painted a lot of the shops and houses round here.”
The man said Bilal wanted to study at university but had not been able to as he was waiting for permanent residency in the UK, so was instead enrolled at a local college.
A woman described Bilal as a “nice guy” who had condemned terrorism in discussions with her husband.
Police said magistrates granted them a warrant allowing the further detention of the 25-year-old and 30-year-old men until Tuesday.
Additional reporting by PA