British man 'trained with guns to fight IS'

The Old Bailey was told Mr James set out to "advance a political and ideological cause"

A British man who trained with guns in Syria to fight the Islamic State group committed terror offences "even if his eventual fighting was against other terrorists", a jury has been told.

Aidan James, 28, of Formby, Merseyside, denies two counts of attending a place used for terrorist training.

Prosecutors allege he spent time at camps in Iraq and Syria where Kurdish groups the YPG and PKK were present.

The Old Bailey heard he set to "advance a political and ideological cause".

Mark Heywood QC, prosecuting, said as a citizen and resident of the UK "who did not know and had never been to Iraq or Syria before, and who had no prior military knowledge or experience of any kind, and no official sanction... he went there for four months to fight".

He said because the defendant's intended use or threat of violence was for such purposes, the law says that what he wanted to do was terrorism, "even if his eventual fighting was against other terrorists".

The court heard between August and October 2017, Mr James did weapons training with banned group the PKK and then the YPG, which is not banned.

Mr Heywood told the jury the defendant did not deny being at the camps, meaning "the main question for you to decide is whether the training in those places... was terrorist in nature and so whether he is criminally liable for doing those things".

He said Mr James had not been charged on the basis his purpose was to fight the Islamic State group, but because he visited locations where firearms training was taking place, one purpose of which was the advancement of a political or an ideological cause, namely that of Kurdish people.

The court heard Mr James previously had physical and mental health issues and before going to the Middle East had been the subject of engagement by police under the anti-radicalisation Prevent programme.

The trial continues.