Abdullah Yousef, 24, has rejected claims he intended to create an explosive vest and told his trial he cannot account for a message he allegedly posted on social media stating: "I am a terrorist."
Yousef, of Galapagos Grove, in Bletchley, Milton Keynes, is said to have been affiliated with the so-called Islamic State (IS) and sought to join the terror organisation in Africa, Birmingham Crown Court was told. The prosecution alleges he possessed a document on his mobile about manufacturing suicide vests.
Prosecution alleges Telegram group and IS content
The prosecution claims Yousef demonstrated an "apparent interest" in creating explosives and established a Telegram messaging group in May 2024 through which substantial IS-produced content was distributed.
Yousef refutes one charge each of membership of a banned organisation (Islamic State) and gathering information of a type likely to prove useful to a terrorist, plus six charges of distributing terrorist publications.
Defendant's testimony and social media messages
Entering the witness box during his trial on Wednesday, Yousef, who the court was told hailed from Egypt and trained as an electrician at MK College in Buckinghamshire, rejected supporting IS or endorsing their "purpose and ambitions", and stated he had no interest in creating explosives.
The accused, dressed in a grey polo shirt and grey tracksuit bottoms, was questioned by prosecution barrister Frederick Hookway to clarify his meaning in various social media messages he allegedly transmitted to others. During a Facebook Messenger exchange in May 2025, Yousef is claimed to have stated: "You know I support IS, Daesh, Islamic State."
"Why are you telling them you support the Islamic State?" Mr Hookway questioned. The accused responded: "It was in the context of a joke ... I see people joking about that, I find it funny."
Mr Hookway continued: "You said 'By the way, I am a terrorist'. What does that mean?" Yousef answered: "I don't know, I have no explanation for it."
The accused, who paused twice during his testimony to request additional water, also stated he had no explanation for a message in which he purportedly wrote: "Committed and a terrorist, praise be to Allah."
"That is not a joke, is it?" Mr Hookway challenged. "You wouldn't say Allah's name in the context of a joke, would you?" Yousef replied: "I mean ... the whole context of the conversation ... I believe it was a joke." When pressed again on whether he would use Allah's name in jest, the accused answered following a pause: "Sometimes, yeah."
Document on explosive vest and further questioning
The prosecution claims Yousef possessed a 15-page document within a Telegram data folder on his mobile which indicated it was "aimed for personal development and knowledge of Mujahideen", and outlined in detail how to build an explosive vest, including specifications for incorporating ball bearings or nails as shrapnel to harm additional victims.
When questioned about why he held this document, Yousef stated: "It's a random document I came across on the internet, I don't remember looking at it." The court was told that Yousef had previously stated he possessed a "curiosity" regarding explosive vests. When questioned about the nature of his curiosity, Yousef responded: "If someone is curious, they are just curious ... they don't have any bad intentions behind it."
Yousef refuted having any interest in constructing an explosive device or sharing such information to "help others do it". When Mr Hookway questioned what he intended by sharing a Koran quote about striking the necks of "disbelievers", Yousef responded: "I don't need to answer that."
The prosecuting barrister also pressed Yousef on what "security problem" he referenced when he allegedly messaged: "I can't say where I am... for security reasons... so nobody can report me." Yousef explained: "There was no security problem, I was just saying this because I didn't want to send them my location."
"What would people want to report you for?" Mr Hookway enquired. The defendant answered: "Maybe for my political views, for any reasons." When asked to clarify his political views, Yousef stated he was "not here to discuss that". Mr Hookway challenged: "You support IS, is that your political view?" "No," the defendant responded.
Yousef claimed he "could not remember what I was talking about" when questioned why he had commented "I wish I had been with them so I could have achieved a great victory" with a black flag symbol on a Facebook post showing IS fighters. When questioned about the symbol, which Mr Hookway suggested was a reference to the IS flag, Yousef responded: "It's just a normal black flag ... there is no point."
"It's not just a random act, is it?" Mr Hookway pressed. "You just happened to choose one that is a symbol of the IS?" The accused answered: "Yeah ... It's a black flag available on the internet, I don't know why you are making a big deal of it, it's just a normal black flag."
The trial continues.
