Neighbours of a father-of-seven from Watford, jailed for trying to smuggle his jihadist cousin back into England from a terrorist training camp in Syria, have spoken of their shock and disgust of his actions and fear of reprisals in the street where they live.

Tahir Bhatti, a taxi driver, of Clarke Way, Watford, was jailed for 21 months on Friday last week for assisting an offender. He had admitted driving his cousin, Imran Khawaja, from Bulgaria back to the UK in June 2014.

Khawaja had faked his own death in Syria in order to smuggle himself home but before he did so he had appeared in gruesome videos posted online for Islamic State propaganda, including posing with severed heads and dead fighters.

One resident of Clarke Way said: “He didn’t get long enough – 21 months is disgusting.

“He knew why he was going, he knew what his cousin was doing. I’m worried he’s going to move back to the street; I don’t want him living here.”

He continued: “I was shocked to find out all the details of what his cousin was doing.

“I don’t want any retaliation. It makes you uncomfortable to be in your own home.

“You never know if someone might retaliate and get the wrong house. That’s what I’m worried about most.”

Another neighbour said: “Terrorists are all around us – you just don’t know who your neighbours are.

“He seemed like a decent bloke to me, when I was told about it I was amazed.

“The person he helped is disgusting.

“I think he’ll have learned his lesson with his sentence – it can’t be very nice in prison.

“It’s just such a shock. I used to say hello to him when he was out there working on his cars.”

Bhatti’s family declined to comment when approached by the Watford Observer.