Adeel Ulhaq is on trial at the Old Bailey
Adeel Ulhaq is on trial at the Old Bailey A Nottinghamshire man is one of three men accused of helping a teenage jihadi to leave the UK so he could fight for terrorist group Daesh in Syria. Adeel Ulhaq, 21, is on trial at the Old Bailey in London alongside Forhad Rahman, 21, and Kristen Brekke, 20.
The three men are alleged to have arranged Aseel Muthana's travel to Syria from his home in Cardiff in February 2014 to join the group, otherwise known as Islamic State, and preparing him for life in the war-torn country.
Muthana was just 17 years old at the time and followed in the footsteps of his older brother, Nasser Muthana, 21, who travelled to Syria with four pals a few months earlier.
Nasser Muthana became one of the dubious 'stars' of the notorious terrorist propaganda video "There is no life without jihad", which was released last June to encourage westerners to join ISIS.
Rahman, a London minicab firm employee who dreamed of joining Daesh himself, helped the teenager get a passport, bought his plane ticket, and paid for his coach journey to the airport, it is said.
Muslim convert Brekke, from Cardiff, is accused of buying combat clothes for Muthana on eBay, while Ulhaq allegedly shared his knowledge of Syria and Islamic State in online chats.
"Each of the three defendants, in different ways, assisted a teenage male called Aseel Muthana, to leave his home and family in Cardiff and travel to Syria, in order to join the armed conflict which as we all know is raging in that country", said prosecutor Annabel Darlow QC.
"Aseel Muthana was aged just 17 when he left his family home on February 21, 2014 in order to join the ranks of the terrorist group known as Islamic State - since that day he has not returned to this country."
She told jurors they will watch the notorious IS propaganda video featuring Muthana's older brother."
Nasser Muthana later achieved a certain amount of notoriety when he and a number of other young men, including one who was from his home city of Cardiff, made a propaganda video called 'There is no life without Jihad' which was released in June 2014", she said.
"In it, Naseer Muthana and his companions talk about the virtues of jihad in Syria and Iraq and urge other Muslims living in the West to come as part of their duty to join Islamic State."
She told the court Rahman is a committed extremist who considered going to Syria himself, and willingly helped Muthana, now 19, achieve this aim.
"While still a young man himself at the time, albeit a couple of years older than Aseel Muthana, Rahman had a very pronounced interest in Islamic extremist material and he frequently expressed himself a strong interest in travelling to Syria himself in order to participate in Jihad", she said.
"He never seemed able to reach a final decision to go himself, preferring instead to encourage and assist others to go on an extremely hazardous journey.
"He did so, it must be stated, in the full knowledge of the extreme dangers which anyone travelling to Syria to fight exposed themselves to.
"In December 2013, just two months before Aseel Muthana set on his way, a young man called Ifthekhar Jaman was killed during a battle in Syria.
"Jaman was well known to Rahman, he knew his family, and Rahman was only too well aware before he helped send off Mr Muthana of the death in Syria of Mr Ifthekhar."
Rahman, of Cirencester, also put Muthana in touch with Ulhaq, of Sutton-in–Ashfield, so that he could advise him about how to make it to Syria in online chats before and after he left the UK, it was said.
"The advice he gave in those discussions showed that, though he was a young man, Adeel Ulhaq had both a great deal of knowledge about the armed conflict in Syria and a network of contacts who could be of use to people seeking to get involved in it,"' said the prosecutor.
Brekke allegedly bought items for potential use in combat, such as camouflage clothing, on eBay, although Muthana did not take most of them with him.
He also searched for information that would be useful to Muthana, allowed him to use his computer and let him store items at his house before Muthana left the UK, it is claimed.
"In going to Syria to join the ranks of Islamic State, Aseel Muthana was acting so as to become involved in terrorism: he was going to join a group who use violence in pursuit of political, religious and ideological – but above all religious – aims," said Ms Darlow.
"The prosecution say that each defendant, when he helped Aseel Muthana travel to Syria, did so in the full knowledge that Aseel Muthana was going there to engage in violent conflict on the side of Islamic State, and they wanted to help him do just that.
"In those circumstances, although there is no suggestion each of these defendants went to Syria themselves, each is guilty of the offence of preparation of terrorist acts with which he is charged."
The court heard Muthana lived with his family in Cardiff, a short distance from Brekke's home.
He left the UK on a flight from Gatwick Airport to Larnaca, in Cyprus, on 21 February 2014 having travelled by coach to the airport the previous evening.
Muthana travelled on to Syria to join his brother, Nasser, who was one of five young men who made a similar journey in November 2013.
They flew from Cardiff to Antalya in Turkey, under cover of a package holiday, before making their way to Syria, the prosecutor said.
Aseel Muthana first met Brekke while both worked in the same ice cream shop, 'Ice Cream Passion', jurors heard.
Rahman only met the teenager less than two months before he left for Syria and although they met several times in person, most of their interaction was online, it was said.
At that time Rahman was living in Fulham, southwest London, and working as a minicab call centre operative for Addison Lee.
Ulhaq was allegedly introduced to Muthana by Rahman and his contact with Aseel was entirely by telephone and online,
Mr Hehir explained.
"The prosecution case is that all three defendants shared, with each other and Aseel Muthana, the same radical Islamic ideology and support for those waging armed conflict in pursuance of that ideology in Syria," continued the prosecutor.
"Indeed two of the defendants, Forhad Rahman and Adeel Ulhaq, were part of a network of friends and acquaintances in various places with a similar outlook, namely a commitment to violent struggle in Syria."
Ms Darlow told the jury to ignore media reports about the Muthana brothers, and to put their emotions aside when considering the case.
"The activities of Islamic State and the atrocities for which they have been responsible, both in Syria and elsewhere across the globe, are matters which may give rise to strong emotions and about which many of us may hold powerful personal views", she said.
"It's extremely important that, from the outset, you put personal feelings of anger, prejudice, and hostility entirely to one side and consider the evidence for and against each defendant coolly, objectively, dispassionately, and fairly.
"This is not about the rights and wrongs of the conflict in Syria; you may think that this court couldn't possibly be an appropriate forum to disentangle questions of that complexity and magnitude."
Rahman, of Cranhams Lane, Chesterton, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, Brekke, of Pentre Street, Grangetown, Cardiff, and Ulhaq, of Westbourne Road, Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, deny preparation of terrorist acts.
Ulhaq also denies entering into or becoming concerned in a terrorist funding arrangement.
The trial continues.
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