North London brothers who died fighting alongside Al Qaeda extremists in Syria are hailed as 'martyrs'

These are the British brothers hailed as Al Qaeda martyrs who died fighting alongside jihadists in Syria.

Estate agent Akram, 24, and his brother Mohamed Sebah, 28, are the first known Western siblings to die in the ongoing civil war.

The so-called 'British Lions' secretly flew to the Middle East in August last year where they were killed weeks later.

+6

'British Lions': Mohamed Sebah (left) and his estate agent brother Akram were killed in September in Syria

Neighbours in Holloway, north London, were told the pair died in a car crash in America.

But a Facebook post revealed the brothers, of Eritrean descent, were shot down in battle fighting Kurdish separatist rebels.

Now, images of both in military uniform, clutching machine guns, are being shared on social media touting the pair as poster boys for the holy war.

+6

Akram, 24, who worked for Ludlow Thompson was described by neighbours as 'well-mannered'

The news has shocked residents in the quiet square where the family have lived for years, who described the brothers as 'well-mannered'.

One woman, who did not want to be named, said: 'We found out they had died four months ago, but we were told they had die din a car crash in America.

'Their mother was so upset, I went round to see her but she would not talk, she was crying a lot and has been very stressed.

'Everyone in the area was very upset when they died. They were known by everybody, a lot of the families around here have lived here for a very long time.

'But everyone thought they had died in an accident - no-one said anything about Syria and the boys didn't seem like they were very religious.

'I only found out they had gone to Syria a couple of weeks ago from a neighbour.'

The brothers, along with their father, Abdulrahman, mother and four sisters lived at a two-storey townhouse in Holloway, North London.

According to his Linkedin profile Akram studied biomedical sciences at Westminster University before working for Ludlow Thompson.

The estate agents' offices were close to Finsbury Park Mosque where hate preacher Abu Hamza once gave his radical sermons.

The neighbour added: 'When they were younger they would play in the park.

+6

The brothers are local to Finsbury Park Mosque, where hate preacher Abu Hamza went to pray (pictured)

+6

Hamza famously led an outdoor prayer in the north London street surrounded by dozens of police officers

+6

Crisis: The war remains volatile with air strikes and killings daily. Here a Free Syrian Army fighter reacts to a bomb

+6

Deaths: The three-year conflict has killed at least 130,000 people and peace talks have yet to advance

'I watched them get older and would see Akram going to work dressed in a suit and looking very smart.

'He and his brother were always very nice, with good manners.

'I last saw Akram around seven months ago, he looked like he always did and didn't seem different.

'I'm sad that we have lost these boys.'