Prominent jihadists are twice as likely to have studied science at university than subjects related to Islam, according to a new survey, while British fighters appear to know the least about their religion.

The report, which analysed the histories of 100 of the most prominent jihadist leaders of the last three decades, said that despite claiming to be the sole interpreters of Islamic theology, they often had little or no training in the subject.

Osama bin Laden himself went to a secular school and studied economics and business at university, and had little formal Islamic training.

This was important because the report also found that personal networks were more important in recruiting and promoting jihadists than individual jihadist organisations.