‘We loved him but we’re so thankful nobody else died’
A CHRISTIAN couple who gave Emad Al Swealmeen a home have said they are relieved he blew only himself up.
The bomber met Elizabeth Hitchcott and her lay preacher husband Malcolm after being baptised in 2015 and confirmed as a Christian at the Liverpool Cathedral in 2017. Days later the couple, both 77, of Aigburth, Merseyside, took him in for eight months.
Mrs Hitchcott said: “The one thing I suppose to be thankful for is that he did not kill anyone else.
“We are just so sad. We loved him. We were shocked when we heard what he had done.”
Ex-soldier Mr Hitchcott said Al Swealmeen claimed he converted to Christianity after becoming disillusioned with Islam.
He said: “He took an Alpha course, which explains the Christian faith. He was confirmed as a Christian just before he came to live with us.
Al Swealmeen first contacted the Hitchcotts after his asylum appeal was dismissed and he was “desperate” for somewhere to stay.
Mr Hitchcott said: “He arrived here on April 1 2017. He was with us then for eight months and during that time we saw him really blossoming in regards to his Christian faith.
“He really had a passion about Jesus that I wish many Christians had and he was ready to learn.
“He was keen on reading his Bible and every night we used to pray. We prayed for half an hour or so and studied the scriptures.
We had a great time together. He was absolutely genuine, as far as I could tell.
“I was in no doubt by the time that he left us that he was a Christian.”
Mr Hitchcott said Al Swealmeen changed his name to Enzo Almeni to shorten it and make it more European, “not for any ulterior motive”.
He admitted however that he had not spoken to Al Swealmeen in four years and there may have been “changes in his personality and his beliefs” during that time. Al Swealmeen’s confirmation at Liverpool Cathedral was conducted by Bishop Cyril Ashton.
Bishop Ashton said: “It seems that sadly, despite this grounding, the bomber chose a different path for his life.”
Meanwhile, it emerged yesterday that the bomber, described as “artistic”, had taken a cake decorating course at the City of Liverpool College three years before the attack.
The college said it was “dismayed to hear of his involvement in the tragic events” on Sunday.