A man appeared in court today charged with the murder of Syrian preacher Abdul Hadi Arwani , who was found dead in his car in Wembley last week . The Crown Prosecution Service announced today that 36-year-old Leslie Cooper would be charged over the suspected murder of Mr Arwani , 48 , who was an outspoken opponent of the Assad regime in his native country . He appeared before magistrates in Camberwell today for a brief hearing , and will appear at the Old Bailey later this week . Meanwhile , Scotland Yard said tonight that a second man , aged 61 , had been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder Mr Arwani . Charge : A man has been charged with the murder of Syrian imam Abdul Hadi Arwani . The imam ran a building company as well as preaching at various mosques before he was shot dead and his body abandoned in a Volkswagen Passat last Tuesday night . Cooper , from Brent in north-west London , was remanded in custody by a judge at Camberwell Magistrates ' Court and ordered to appear at the Old Bailey within the next 48 hours . He wore a grey tracksuit during the minute-long hearing , and spoke only to confirm his name . Earlier , the CPS said in a statement : 'The Crown Prosecution Service has today authorised the Metropolitan Police to charge Leslie Cooper , 36 , with the murder of Abdul Hadi Arwani . Mr Arwani was shot dead in the Greenhill area of London on April 7 , 2015 . Mosque : Mr Arwani was a preacher at the An Noor mosque and cultural centre in west London . Car : He was found dead in his black Volkswagen Passat in Wembley last Tuesday night . 'Mr Cooper now stands charged with a criminal offence and has the right to a fair trial . It is extremely important that there should be no reporting , commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings . ' The family of Mr Arwani have thanked the community ‘ for the outpouring of support during this extremely difficult time ’ . In a statement , released through Scotland Yard , Mr Arwani 's son Murhaf said : ‘ We are touched to learn how many people my father helped , advised and inspired in his short life. ’ Mr Arwani also urged anyone who may be able to help with the investigation to come forward . He said : ‘ If anyone has any additional information that can help with the investigation , we urge you to please come forward and speak to the Metropolitan Police . ‘ Your co-operation will help us close this painful page and begin to move on with our lives , in the knowledge that the person who took away our father will be brought to justice and duly punished for this heinous crime. ’ A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said : 'Leslie Cooper , 36 , of Brent , NW10 was charged on Tuesday , April 14 with the murder of Mr Arwani and has been remanded in custody to appear at Camberwell Green Magistrates ' Court at 14:00hrs this afternoon . ' A post-mortem examination found that Mr Arwani , a father of six , died from gunshot wounds and counter-terrorism officers were tasked with investigating his murder . He was an imam at the An Noor mosque in Acton , west London , from 2005 to 2011 , but left the institution after being embroiled in a row with other leading figures there . Mr Arwani was a passionate opponent of Bashar al-Assad 's Syrian regime , and supported the opposition seeking to unseat the dictator . He was apparently forced to flee his home country after he was caught taking photographs in the town of Hama , which was devastated by a government massacre in 1982 . After he was found dead , Mr Arwani 's family paid tribute to him calling him 'the most peaceful man you could wish to meet ' , and called on members of the public to help find his killer . An Noor has been linked with extremism after a number of radical preachers were invited to speak there , but friends of Mr Arwani have insisted that he held moderate and pro-Western views . Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article .
Abdul Hadi Arwani was found shot dead in his car in Syria last week . Leslie Cooper , 36 , was today charged with his murder . Imam was a fervent opponent of the Assad regime in his native Wembley . Second man , 61 , arrested tonight on suspicion of conspiracy to murder .