Taekwondo teacher 'was Iraqi suicide bomber'

Neighbours of a Yemeni-born man who had been living in Britain have expressed astonishment and concern over reports that he had killed himself in a suicide bomb attack in Iraq.

Yemeni newspaper Al Ayyam reported that the family of 22-year-old Wail al-Dhaleai had been contacted by people in Iraq who informed them he had died during an attack on US troops in the country.

Al-Dhaleai, who had been working as a martial arts instructor at a Sheffield community centre, is understood to have been living in the UK for around three years and is reported to be married with a young son.

The British Foreign Office was last night unable to confirm reports of his death.

Neighbour Hussein Salah, whose children were taught taekwondo by al-Dhaleai at the Goodwill Community Centre, told Channel 4 News: “He was very dedicated to sport. He was very supportive to the students and would go out of his way to help the children.

“I saw him as a very decent guy.”

The centre’s Omer Abdul Qadar said: “We knew him as a nice person, a gentle person, helpful and always kind with the kids.”

Al Ayyam’s foreign editor Bashraheel Bashraheel said the paper had heard of al-Dhaleai’s death from his family in Yemen.

“The family got two phone calls from Iraq,” he told Channel 4 News. “One claimed to be from a friend of his confirming the death and that he died in a suicide attack.

“The other phone call came from the guy preparing the funeral service for him.

“The family seemed surprised to hear the circumstances of his death. They were convinced that when he went to the UK he went for new opportunities and to have a better life in the UK.”