Terror-accused denies wanting to make bomb vest

A man accused of terrorism offences has denied he wanted to make an explosive vest, a trial has heard.

Abdullah Yousef, 24, told a jury at Birmingham Crown Court he had no explanation for a message he is alleged to have sent on social media saying: "I am a terrorist."

Prosecutors allege he had been a member of the so-called Islamic State (IS) and wanted to join the terror group in Africa.

Yousef, of Galapagos Grove, in Bletchley, Milton Keynes, has denied having membership of a proscribed organisation (IS), collecting information of a kind likely to be useful to a terrorist and six counts of dissemination of terrorist publications.

Taking the witness stand on Wednesday, Yousef, who the court heard was from Egypt and had studied to become an electrician at MK College in Buckinghamshire, denied supporting IS or agreeing with their "purpose and ambitions".

Prosecution counsel Frederick Hookway asked him to explain the purpose of several social media messages he is alleged to have sent to others.

In a conversation on Facebook Messenger in May 2025, Yousef allegedly said: "You know I support IS, Daesh, Islamic State."

The defendant denied supporting IS and said he made the comments, "in the context of a joke … I see people joking about that, I find it funny".

Prosecutors alleged Yousef had a 15-page document in a Telegram (messaging app) data folder on his phone which said it was "aimed for personal development and knowledge of Mujahideen".

It discussed in detail how to construct an explosive vest, with details of how to include ball bearings or nails as shrapnel to injure more people.

Asked why he had this document in his possession, Yousef said: "It's a random document I came across on the internet, I don't remember looking at it."

The court heard that Yousef earlier said he had a "curiosity" about explosive vests.

Asked what his curiosity was, Yousef said: "If someone is curious, they are just curious … they don't have any bad intentions behind it."

He denied having an interest in making an explosive device or an interest in sharing it to "help others do it".

The trial continues.

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