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 Wembley last week . Leslie Cooper, 36, was today charged with his murder . Imam was a fervent opponent of the Assad regime in his native Syria . Second man, 61, arrested tonight on suspicion of conspiracy to murder .