Four Britons 'killed fighting in Syria war with Al Qaeda rebels' Three of the men, thought to be radicalised Muslims from London, were killed as they attacked pro-Bashar al-Assad forces near Aleppo The men - one of whom has been named as Mohammed El-Araj, 23 - were killed in an explosion in August Four Britons are believed to have died fighting alongside Al Qaeda in Syria. Three of the men, thought to be radicalised Muslims from London, were killed as they attacked pro-Bashar al-Assad forces near Aleppo. The men - one of whom has been named as Mohammed El-Araj, 23 - were killed in an explosion in August, the Times reported. The fourth was shot two weeks later while trying to ambush an enemy position. Mohammed el-Araj, from West London, (left) was killed during an ambush on Assad forces. Another Briton, Abu Hujama al-Britani, right, was also killed. Centre is a former Dutch soldier who trained them Amid fears that hundreds of radicalised British Muslims have gone to Syria to fight holy war, the death of El-Araj, from west London, was confirmed by his family. On August 17, El-Araj's sister tweeted: "The love I had for him, no one will understand'. Ifthekar Jaman told the BBC that he was fighting alongside Islamist rebels Last night the Foreign Office confirmed it was investigating reports that four Britons were killed fighting Assad's forces. El-Araj, the son of an antiques dealer, was brought up in the UK and was studying to become a mechanical engineer. In 2009, he was arrested following violent protests outside the Israeli embassy and sent to prison for 18 months. The International Centre for the Study of Radicalistion (ICSR), a think-tank that tracks the movement of foreign fighters involved in Syria, said El-Araj had been involved with jihadist organisations including Jabhat al-Nusra, a militant group aligned to Al Qaeda. Shiraz Maher, from ICSR, said El-Araj appeared to have had contact with Al Qaeda-linked groups. It is estimated there are between 200 and 350 Britons who have travelled to Syria to fight. British spies have also warned about "jihadi tourism" in Syria and the threat young extremists pose when they return home. It is feared they could radicalise others on their return and train them in how to use weapons. A young British jihadi fighting in Syria told BBC's Newsnight that he had gone to the Arab country to fight alongside Islamist rebels. The city of Aleppo has endured months of bitter fighting between rebels and pro-government forces Ifthekar Jaman, 23, is fighting jihad or "holy war" in Syria, having left his home in Portsmouth in the past few weeks. Jaman said it was his aim to create an Islamic state and he supported the principle of jihad. "The duty of a Muslim is to love jihad," he said. One of the sayings of the prophet, peace be upon him, whoever does not go to jihad, or doesn't even talk about it, dies with a characteristic of hypocrisy. I am actually a Muslim following the way I should be. He also said "volunteers" from around the world had gone to Syria to help fight and the country did not need the West to intervene. Jamad is not the only young Muslim from Portsmouth who has gone to Syria. It is thought four or five others, who used to meet at their local mosque, have joined him.