Terror trial suspect 'curious' about bomb video

Birmingham Crown Court heard Adam Mahmood had skipped over parts of the footage

A terror trial suspect accused of having an instructional bomb-making video claimed he skipped over parts of the film and "didn't really think anything of it".

Adam Mahmood told Birmingham Crown Court he asked for the video to be sent to him by another social media user via the Telegram app in October 2023.

The 20-year-old said he did not understand what was going on in the video but was "intrigued and curious" about it.

Mr Mahmood, of Platt Brook Way in Sheldon, Birmingham, denies a single count of having a recording likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism.

Jurors were previously told a photo of Mr Mahmood, associated with his TikTok account of more than 27,000 followers, showed him in a balaclava, plus various weapons including a bow, axe and sword.

Giving evidence at Tuesday's hearing, Mr Mahmood said he had not watched parts of the video, which prosecutors claimed provided a detailed guide to producing an explosive substance with a detonator and shrapnel to make a complete bomb.

'Didn't understand'

He told the court he asked to be sent the video after seeing a "fast-forwarded clip" posted by another social media account, which invited anyone who wanted it to send a direct message.

"I didn't understand what was going on in the video," Mr Mahmood said. "I was very intrigued and curious as to what the video was about."

The court heard he asked for the 14-minute footage to be sent to his Instagram account and eventually downloaded it to his phone from a Telegram message sent by someone using the name "Slave of Allah".

Mr Mahmood denied he was a supporter of Isis, or so-called Islamic State, and said he "fast forwarded" the video to what the man in the footage was doing, adding: "I had no clue what he was doing."

The defendant, a former motor mechanics student, told the court he failed his school exams except for a grade 4 in GCSE maths and English.

"It was going over my head as a person who failed science," he said of the video. "I had no clue what he was saying."

'Rubbish video'

Mr Mahmood was questioned about part of the footage which showed a man in a kitchen wearing camouflage saying he was going to make a bomb.

"I skipped the introduction," Mr Mahmood answered. "I didn't really think anything of it - I thought it was just a rubbish video. I didn't pay much attention to it."

He told the court if he "knew it was that video" he would have deleted it immediately.

Prosecutor Sahil Sinha told jurors on Monday that an expert said the video's instructions were "viable to make an improvised explosive device".

The trial continues on Thursday.