abdul hadi arwani , 48 , a fierce critic of president bashar al-assad , may have been assassinated by the governing regime in his home country .
the father of six was found slumped in a volkswagen passat with wounds to his chest on a street in wembley on tuesday morning .
last night it emerged that metropolitan police counter-terrorism officers , who handle political assassinations , were now leading the inquiry because of its potential ` international dimensions ' .