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Men 'helped' IS fighter Aseel Muthana travel to Syria Would-be 'jihadis' called each other 'cutie', court hears
(about 2 hours later)
Three men helped a Cardiff teenager to follow his older brother to Syria to fight for Islamic State (IS), a court has heard. Two would-be UK jihadists called each other "honey, cutie and babe" in online messages, a terror trial has heard.
Aseel Muthana was 17 when he travelled to join the extremist militant group in February, 2014. Forhad Rahman, 21, of Cirencester, Gloucestershire, is one of three men who deny helping Cardiff teenager Aseel Muthana, 17, travel to Syria to join Islamic state (IS) in 2014.
Kristen Brekke, 19, of Cardiff, Forhad Rahman, 21, of Gloucestershire, and Adeel Ulhaq, 20, of Nottinghamshire, deny helping him. Messages revealed at his trial at the Old Bailey show the pair had a "profound emotional closeness" online.
On Friday, their trial began at the Old Bailey. Prosecutors said the messages may have been "humorous".
Prosecutor Christopher Hehir said Mr Muthana, now 18, followed his 20-year-old brother Nasser, who travelled to Syria in November, 2013, and appeared in a highly publicised Is recruitment video online. In another message, Mr Forhad wrote to the teenager "radicalise babe x".
He said the three men on trial helped Mr Muthana "in the full knowledge" he was going to Syria to "fight with IS and they wanted to help him do just that". The Gloucestershire man, who was living in south west London at the time, is alleged to have paid for a replacement passport and a coach ticket, which allowed Mr Muthana to leave Britain.
Mr Muthana travelled to Syria with a replacement passport after his parents had already confiscated one, the trial heard. He is also accused of putting Mr Muthana in contact with another of the accused.
He went by coach from Cardiff to Gatwick Airport on 20 February last year before flying to Larnaca, Cyprus, the following day. Mr Rahman was "a passionate supporter of those waging what he consider jihad" when he met Mr Muthana online, before December 2013, prosecutor Christopher Hehir said on Friday.
From there he travelled on to Syria and has not returned to the UK since. The pair had frequent chats on messaging service WhatsApp, and are believed to have met in person, before Mr Muthana left on February 21, last year.
Describing their web chats, prosecutor Christopher Hehir said: "They illustrate the assistance which Forhad Rahman readily gave to Aseel Muthana, in the full knowledge of what he was planning.
"The chats also reveal a profound emotional closeness between [them].
"They referred to each other by affectionate names such as 'cutie', 'honey' and 'babe'."
Messages were "often signed off with kisses", and "declarations of love passed between them", Mr Hehir said.
The barrister added: "There may well have been a humorous element to this, but there can be no doubt that these young men rapidly became close friends."
Aseel Muthana followed in the footsteps of his older brother Nasser, 20, who travelled to Syria in November, 2013, and appeared in a highly publicised IS recruitment video online.
'Full knowledge'
Aseel Muthana went by coach from Cardiff to Gatwick Airport on 20 February, last year, before flying to Larnaca, Cyprus, the following day.
From there he travelled on to Syria and has not returned to the UK since, the court heard.
The prosecutor said the three men on trial helped the younger Muthana "in the full knowledge" he was going to Syria to fight with IS, and "they wanted to help him do just that".
"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," Mr Hehir said."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," Mr Hehir said.
The barrister said the three men, who are accused of assisting another in the preparation for committing terrorist acts, all shared the "same radical Islamic ideology". Kristen Brekke, 19, of Cardiff, who worked with Aseel Muthana at a Cardiff ice cream shop, allegedly bought combat clothing, performed computer searches and stored items for him.
Mr Brekke, who worked with Aseel Muthana at a Cardiff ice cream shop, allegedly bought combat clothing, performed computer searches and stored items for him. Adeel Ulhaq, 20, of Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, gave Mr Muthana advice in online discussions, providing "a great deal of knowledge" about the Syrian conflict and about useful contacts, the prosecutor said.
Forhad Rahman - of Cirencester, but who was living in south London at the time - is alleged to have paid for the replacement passport and Mr Muthana's coach ticket, before putting him in contact with Mr Ulhaq. He also stands accused of sending money to Turkey to fund terrorism, in a separate charge.
Mr Ulhaq, of Sutton-in-Ashfield, gave Mr Muthana advice in online discussions, providing "a great deal of knowledge" about the Syrian conflict and about useful contacts, the prosecutor said. All the accused deny assisting another in the preparation for committing terrorist acts.
The Nottinghamshire man also stands accused of sending money to Turkey to fund terrorism, in a separate charge.
The prosecutor told the jury: "Your task is simply to decide on the evidence whether each defendant intentionally helped Aseel Muthana to go out to Syria to fight in support of a political, religious, ideological or racial cause.
"In other words to engage in what the law defines as terrorism."
The trial continues.The trial continues.