A suspected terror recruit from Wooburn Green is believed to have died in battle, according to reports from Kenya.

Thomas Evans allegedly travelled to Somalia and joined the Islamist Al Shabaab group in 2011 after converting to Islam and changing his name to Abdul Hakim.

Last year, his mother Sally Evans said she would rather see her 24-year-old son, who changed his name to Abdul Hakim, behind bars in Britain than die for his ‘warped ideology’.

Reports have suggested that he died after a siege at a Kenyan military base, but this has not been confirmed by UK authorities.

Speaking to the Sunday Times in July 2014, Mrs Evans said her son converted to Islam when he was 19 and adopted a new name.

She said: “I would rather have Thomas alive behind bars than dead in the middle of nowhere because he wouldn’t just die innocently but die doing something that he shouldn’t be doing.

“And if he took other lives, how do you live with this? If he was a suicide bomber, how would I live with that?

“I’m heartbroken at his decision to leave me and his brother to follow a warped ideology but I still love him. I wish they had a magic wand to bring him back.”

The Wooburn Green resident told police that she asked her son during a telephone conversation if he was considering becoming a suicide bomber.

She told the Sunday Times he replied ‘If asked, I would, Inshallah [God willing].’

She added that his beliefs became increasingly fundamental after he started going to a prayer centre and tried to convince his mother and brother Michael to convert, saying: “I want you to convert to Islam, otherwise you will burn in hell.”

The nationals reported Evans attempted to fly to Kenya in February 2011 but was blocked by anti-terrorism police at Heathrow Airport.

A few months later he allegedly went to Egypt, claiming he was study Arabic.

Police later informed his mother he had been trying to enter Kenya.

It wasn’t until January 2012 that he phoned and told her he was in Somalia and she would not see him again.

Do you know the family of Thomas Evans? Get in touch with the Bucks Free Press by calling 01494 755089, or email andrew.colley@london.newsquest.co.uk