It was soon after his return to Britain, a close friend claims, that MI5 earmarked him as a potential informant and began assiduously courting him.

The Mail on Sunday has been told:

  Intelligence officers offered Adebolajo money and gave him a mobile phone;

  Adebolajo was asked to spy on a group of Muslims with links to Al Qaeda terrorists in Yemen;

 He resisted their attempts to ‘turn’ him and complained to lawyers he was being harassed.