Carrying heavy items to his car and pushing a wheelchair, terror preacher Hani Al-Sibai does not seem to have severe mobility problems.

Yet he is claiming £50,000 a year in disability and other benefits as he defies efforts to kick him out of the country.

Now Al-Sibai, a ‘key influencer’ of the group behind the Tunisian beach massacre, could have his handouts from the taxpayer slashed after the Mail took these photographs casting doubt on his claim to be severely disabled.

Hani Al-Sibai insists he is too unwell to work, cannot walk without severe discomfort and requires help with basic care, such as washing, dressing and using the toilet - yet these pictures cast doubt on those claims

Al-Sibai, who has fought deportation from the UK for more than a decade, insists he is too unwell to work, cannot walk without severe discomfort and requires help with basic care, such as washing, dressing and using the toilet.

However the photographs caught Al-Sibai walking with apparent ease in the sunshine. He carried a heavy scanner under one arm and pushed a wheelchair to his car before throwing it into the boot.

And he mocked a Mail report earlier this week that exposed his benefits-funded lifestyle, telling friends: ‘It says I live in a house worth one million. I correct it for them – one and a half million.’

The jihadi preacher, who described 7/7 as a ‘great victory’, could now face investigation for suspected benefit fraud after the photographs were passed to the Department for Work and Pensions.

MPs and campaigners praised the Mail for exposing the alleged abuse of the benefits system.

The Home Office revealed last night that it is battling through the courts to have him deported because his ‘presence in the UK is not conducive to the public good’.

Keith Vaz, chairman of the Commons home affairs select committee, has written to Home Secretary Theresa May demanding to know why he is still in the country. He said: ‘Those who stay in the country should comply with all our laws and ensure they follow all the rules.’

Tory MP Philip Hollobone added: ‘Daily Mail readers – especially disabled readers – will be furious to learn that someone involved in international terrorism can be receiving taxpayer-funded benefits for disabilities that he does not appear to have. These people should not be in the country in the first place. I hope the authorities ensure any monies are repaid.’

Al-Sibai, a former Al Qaeda chief, claimed asylum in the UK in 1994. The 54-year-old, who is married with five children, is described by counter-terrorism experts as a ‘key influencer’ of Ansar al-Sharia – the group believed to have recruited and trained Tunisian gunman Seifeddine Rezgui, who killed 38, including 30 British tourists.

Al Sibai gets £50,000 a year in disability and other handouts. He and his wife are able to defy the £26,000 a year benefits cap because both claim disability living allowance - but these snaps show him moving with ease

He has used public money to fund a legal battle to prevent his deportation on human rights grounds. He claims he will be killed or tortured if he is sent back to his native Egypt, where he has been convicted in his absence of plotting terror attacks.

Al-Sibai and his wife, who live in a housing association home in upmarket Ravenscourt Park, West London, are believed to receive benefits of more than £48,000 a year. They are able to defy the £26,000 a year benefits cap because both claim disability living allowance.

They are also thought to claim employment and support allowance, income support, child benefit, housing benefit and council tax benefit. A source said they are taking home higher rate disability benefits for those who need help looking after themselves and have walking difficulties.

Al-Sibai is thought to have stated that he can walk only a short distance without severe discomfort. A court document uncovered by the Mail states that Al-Sibai’s wife ‘and her husband are both severely disabled’. In another, Al-Sibai claims: ‘My wife is virtually bed-bound and is therefore not able to shop or care for the family’.

A neighbour said: ‘He walks up and down no problem at all.’ They said that a woman in a niqab had walked from Al-Sibai’s home to his car ‘at pace’. Another added: ‘I’ve never seen him limping or using a stick or anything like that.’

Al-Sibai denies any links to the Tunisia terror attack. Asked about the benefits he claims, he complained that this was ‘private’.