'Suicide bomber' inquest opens

None of Mr Sharif's family were in court

An inquest has begun into the death of a suspected British suicide bomber whose body was found off the Israeli coast.

Omar Khan Sharif, 27, from Derby is suspected of attempting and failing to kill himself in a suicide bomb attack on a bar in Tel Aviv.

An inquest at Derby and South Derbyshire Coroners Court heard that his body was discovered on 12 May in the sea off Tel Aviv.

The inquest was opened and adjourned on Tuesday to wait for results of tests on Mr Sharif's body.

No family members attended the inquest on Tuesday.

Professor Guy Rutty, a Home Office Pathologist, confirmed the body which was brought back to Britain in a sealed coffin on 19 June was that of Mr Sharif.

Explosives failed

He was last seen alive at the scene of the bombing outside Mike's Place, a busy seafront bar on 30 April, when his companion, Asif Hanif, detonated explosives killing three people.

It is believed he fled the scene after explosives strapped to his body failed to go off.

Some of his supporters have claimed he was interrogated and later murdered by the Israeli security services.

Coroner Peter Ashworth heard the body had been identified by Israeli authorities and confirmed the place of death as Tel Aviv.

More tests

Dental comparisons, DNA and a death certificate all confirmed the body was that of Mr Sharif, who had been married.

A post-mortem examination had earlier been carried out by a home office pathologist and a second by another pathologist on behalf of the family, the inquest heard.

Coroner Mr Ashworth adjourned the inquest, which lasted less than 15 minutes, to a date to be fixed.

Results of some of the tests carried out on the body were likely to take some time.