The mother of a medical student accused of terrorism charges yesterday told a jury her son was “trained to save lives, not waste lives”.
Dr Badria Wagiealla wept as she told the High Court in Glasgow that she and her husband were working in the Sudan at a community hospital for the poor and needy when they heard their son Yousif Badri had been arrested in Aberdeen.
The couple had been expecting a phone call telling from their son telling them the date of his graduation as a doctor from Aberdeen University, and instead they heard he was accused of terrorism offences.
Defence counsel Murdo Macleod QC asked the paediatrician what she would do if Badri committed an act of terrorism, to which she replied: “Yousif trained to save lives, not waste lives”.
The court has previously heard Badri sat his final exams on June 4 and 5, 2013 and was arrested the next day in Sainsburys at Berryden, Aberdeen.
When officers raided his flat, they seized files and videos from his laptop computer, external hard drive and iPhone. These items included footage of Allied soldiers being shot by snipers, the Al Qaeda training manual and 10 copies of their propaganda magazine Inspire.
Badri admits having downloaded the videos and articles but claims it was for research purposes only – so he could refute the arguments put forward by terrorist organisations.
His father, retired cardiologist Mohammed Badri, told the court that he and his wife were involved with the Heart Institute in Sudan, and that their son helped by writing letters and assisting with technology.
Dr Badri was asked if his son would have done anything to hurt his family, and he replied: “No.
“I worked in the NHS for 28 years saving lives, my wife worked for 20 years in the NHS saving lives, one of my daughters is a doctor and another daughter works for the police. Yousif was brought up helping people and helping society.”
Badri is on trial accused of two terrorism charges which he denies.
Prosecutors claim that between 2007 and 2013 in Aberdeen and West Yorkshire, Badri collected or made a record of information likely to be useful to a person “committing or preparing an act of terrorism”. This allegedly included footage of terror attacks, as well as instructions on urban assassinations and guerrilla tactics.
Badri is also accused of engaging in various actions between 2006 and 2013 with the “intention of committing acts of terrorism”, such as allegedly having an equipment list for attending a terrorist training camp in Afghanistan, and having documents, recordings and files containing “extreme ideology”.
The trial before Lord Turnbull continues.