Friends and staff at Goldsmiths University have expressed their shock after a “brilliant” graduate film director was reportedly killed by Islamic State militants.

Mehmet Aksoy, 32, grew up in England after moving here 22 years ago and studied his masters at Goldsmiths in Lewisham, only graduating four years ago.

He was believed to have joined a Kurdish military force, The People’s Defence Units (YGP), working as a press officer.

He was killed on Tuesday morning in a Daesh attack while he was on duty in Raqqa, according to the YPG website.

Gerry McCulloch, head of production in MA Filmmaking at Goldsmiths, said: “I am totally shocked to hear this news. Mehmet was a fantastic student and made his memorable Goldsmiths graduation film, Panfilo, with his student team on location in Italy in 2013.

“He was a brilliant director and collaborator, but most of all, he was a wonderful human being with a very big heart. The world needs people with Mehmet's qualities and his loss is a tragic shock to those of us who were lucky to spend time with him.”

Mr Aksoy was the founder and editor-in-chief of Kurdish Question, a website which reports on the problems of the Kurdish people and other ethnic groups.

Aladdin Sinayic, a close friend of Mr Aksoy's from London, told the BBC: “Mehmet never fought, the plan was never to fight.

“He told me there are better ways. He wanted to tell the stories of the fighters there, he had so much respect for them, and Mehmet was loved by everybody.”

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "The UK has advised for some time against all travel to Syria. As all UK consular services are suspended in Syria, it is extremely difficult to confirm the whereabouts and status of British nationals in the country."