Terror manuals 'were for my homeland in Somalia'

Musse Yusuf is ccused of keeping a library of terrorism manuals

By court staff

A man accused of keeping a library of terrorism manuals claims they were intended for resistance fighters in his homeland of Somalia.

Musse Yusuf (31) said he downloaded bomb-making instructions from the internet after hearing Ethiopian forces had invaded in December 2006.
The files were found by police 18 months later on two hard-drives at his home in Higgs Close, Crown Hills, Leicester.
They also included the Mujahideen Terrorist Handbook, a video demonstration on how to make a suicide vest and material suggesting support for Al Qaeda.

Thursday, October 07, 2010, 09:30

Musse Yusuf is ccused of keeping a library of terrorism manuals

By court staff

A man accused of keeping a library of terrorism manuals claims they were intended for resistance fighters in his homeland of Somalia.

Musse Yusuf (31) said he downloaded bomb-making instructions from the internet after hearing Ethiopian forces had invaded in December 2006.
The files were found by police 18 months later on two hard-drives at his home in Higgs Close, Crown Hills, Leicester.
They also included the Mujahideen Terrorist Handbook, a video demonstration on how to make a suicide vest and material suggesting support for Al Qaeda.

Giving evidence at the Old Bailey, Yusuf denied they were to be used for terrorist purposes and insisted they were for the self-defence of his country from invading troops.
He said: "I wanted to give these files to the resistance. I intended that they would use these files when resisting the Ethiopian invasion."
His barrister, Rajiv Menon, asked: "How could you know that they would be used for solely defensive activity?"
Yusuf replied: "There was only one enemy and it was Ethiopian troops. The purpose was to get the Ethiopians out and live free again."
Mr Menon continued: "The question might be asked, why not try demonstrating or lobbying the UN?"
Yusuf said: "It was not possible.There was an enemy who was targeting civilians and driving them from their homes. There was just one possible solution."
Yusuf told the jury he was involved in the Somali Network for Peace while living in Sweden but occasionally returned to his homeland to see the conditions for himself.
He said that in 2004 he had needed bodyguards to travel around the country. But after the Islamic Courts Union seized power in June 2006, the situation improved.
Yusuf said the Muslim government was moderate in comparison with that of Iran but was unfairly portrayed in the western media.
He said: "Women are seen sitting in leadership, are at the centre of life.
"There were some elements that had extremist views but the leadership was modern democratic Islamic."
Yusuf said he moved from Sweden to the UK to join his wife in Leicester in February 2007.
During this time, he was downloading material from the internet.
He said: "I was thinking of going back to Somalia to take part in the resistance. I thought, 'What could I do to contribute to my people?' What occurred to me was taking with me some internet files that could be useful in Somalia."
Yusuf claimed that he thought it was legal to possess the material in Sweden.
He said he did not read, or open the Mujahideen handbooks, or the suicide vest video but did see the bomb-making instructions.
Yusuf denies four counts of possessing documents for terrorist purposes. hisisleicestershire