Masked Al Qaeda fighter who was described as 'Arsenal football player........

Revealed: Masked Al Qaeda fighter who was described as 'Arsenal football player' is believed to be Portuguese citizen who may have attended coaching sessions at the club

• Extremist appeared in video claiming to be a former Arsenal player
• It has now emerged he may be a Portuguese national, sources say
• Arsenal say they have no record of him as a full-time player
• Rumours had been circulating online that player was Lassana Diarra
• Diarra's lawyer denied the gossip 'in the most categoric fashion'

A masked Al Qaeda terrorist described as a former Arsenal player in an online video has been identified, it was claimed today.

The man, who appeared in the film using a false name, has been identified as a Portuguese citizen, sources have disclosed.

It is believed he had been living in Leyton, east London, but it is unclear whether he had trials with Arsenal or any association with the club.

In a video posted on an extremist website on Saturday a man claimed to be a former Arsenal footballer now fighting in Syria

Sources told The Guardian they do not believe he was a full-time player but he may have attended coaching sessions when potential players are assessed.

A spokesman for the club said: 'We do not recognise the individual from the published clips and we don't have any record of this man representing the club at any level.'

False rumours had spread that he was former Premiership football star Lassana Diarra, 29, who played for a number of big name English clubs including Arsenal, Chelsea and Portsmouth.

As a result, Mr Diarra was forced to deny claims that he had become an Islamic warrior fighting in Syria, saying he had never set foot in the war-torn country. 

'Former Arsenal footballer' joins extremist fighters in Syria

Former Arsenal, Chelsea and Portsmouth player Lassana Diara (right) was forced to deny rumours circulating on Twitter that he is a jihadist fighting in Syria

A lawyer for the French national said he has never even set foot in Syria and currently plays football in Russia

The footage, which appeared two weeks ago and is apparently shot in Syria, shows the man calling on Muslims in the West to travel to the war-torn region and fight with radical militants.

The man, whose face is hidden by a balaclava and is seen clutching an AK47 rifle, is identified as Abu Isa al-Andalus.

According to FiSyria.com, the site that posted the video, the man moved to London from his native country to play for Arsenal after growing up alongside a world-famous footballer. 

The man's face is covered during the video, in which he clutches an AK47 assault rifle

A spokesman for Arsenal say they have no record of a past player with his name

It claims the man was radicalised in the capital two years ago before 'leaving everything' to join the Al Qaeda-affiliated Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

He later adds: 'We have conquered many cities and we are now implementing the Sharia. We have areas where the kaffirs (non-Muslims) are paying us the tax.

'If we stay in the kaffir countries we have to pay (taxes) to them. Do you want to be humiliated by this? Think about it.

'If you have family in these (Western) countries it's a must for you to put your children in the kaffir schools. "Who is going to teach your children?" It's going to maybe be a gay, maybe a drug dealer, maybe a paedophile.

'It's very important for you to protect your children. Allah says they are the worst of creatures.'

The Russian-based website does not confirm the man's previous identity on the page, which shows two videos each roughly four-minutes long.