A Christian couple who took in terror suspect Emad Al Swealmeen have been left 'shocked' after his death as they 'loved him'.
Malcolm and Elizabeth Hitchcott took in the Syrian asylum seeker, who also went by the name Enzo Almeni, after first meeting him in 2015, Mirror Online reports.
Al Swealmeen is believed to have died in a blast outside Liverpool Women's Hospital when an improvised device went off in a taxi just before 11am on Remembrance Sunday.
He was named by the authorities on Monday - as it emerged he may have converted to Christianity after arriving in Britain.
Mrs Hitchcott said: “It’s so terribly sad. We just loved him. He was a lovely guy and we are so shocked. It’s all too much.”
The couple said he arrived in the UK via Dubai in 2014 seeking asylum. It is believed his case was rejected at first before he renewed his application in November 2017, the Liverpool Echo reports.
The couple said he was born in Iraq, where his mum came from, while his father was from Syria.
They added he never spoke about his time in Syria and Iraq or about Islam.
Mr Hitchcott said: “He came to the Cathedral seeking to learn Christianity, he was looking to convert. He did get confirmed on 27th March 2017.”
Al Swealmeen, 32, lived with the couple for eight months in 2016 and they said he was a 'quiet and well mannered' man who was also quite artistic.
Mr Hitchcott said: "We are shocked because a less likely candidate you could not imagine."
The ECHO sought to speak with the Hitchcott's but they stated that they "do not wish to be disturbed".
Al Swealmeen was the passenger in the taxi - the driver, named as David Perry, was injured but managed to escape and has since been released from hospital.
Four men arrested in connection with the explosion, which has been declared a terrorist attack, have been released without charge.
