KHOMEINI'S GHOST. Con Coughlin/ Pan. £8.99.

IN February 1979 Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returned to Tehran after nearly 15 years in exile to a hero’s welcome.

The Islamic revolution that he masterminded in Iran has become one of the defining moments of the modern age.

This is the definitive account of how an impoverished young student came to be the founder of Islamic fundamentalism. The author charts in detail Khomeini’s developing interest in terror groups and his considerable influence on the rest of the world.

Coughlin draws on many Iranian sources, including religious figures and never before published first-hand accounts from Khomeini's former students about his early years as a teacher and young radical.

CHRIS BURGESS