A medical student facing terrorism charges has told a court he wants to clear his name and become a doctor.
Yousif Badri was giving evidence for a fourth day at his trial at the High Court in Glasgow.
The court has heard that Badri’s flat in Aberdeen’s Ashgrove Road was raided by police on June 6, 2013 – the day after he sat and passed his final medical exams.
His computer and an external hard drive were seized and hundreds of thousands of files were found, including dozens which featured Allied troops being killed by snipers and an al Qaida training manual.
Badri denies the charges against him and claims he was researching the material to refute the ways it used the Koran to advocate violence.
He was asked by his counsel Murdo Macleod QC: “What are your plans for the future?”
The 29-year-old replied: “I’m here to explain my position and hopefully clear my name and I want to become what I’ve trained for eight years to be – a doctor.”
Under cross-examination by advocate depute Richard Goddard, prosecuting, Badri denied he had tried to keep the files found by police secret.
He said: “It was on my computer. It was free for anyone to access. There was no password. I used Google to access all the material.”
The court has heard that Badri was arrested before he was able to graduate as a doctor.
He is accused of being involved in conduct “with the intention of committing acts of terrorism”.
The offences are alleged to have been committed at two locations in Aberdeen – Badri’s former flat in Ashgrove Road and in Berryden Retail Park.
His current address at Halifax in West Yorkshire, also features in the charges.
Prosecutors claim that between 2007 and 2013 Badri collected or made a record of information likely to be useful to a person “committing or preparing an act of terrorism”.
The trial, before judge Lord Turnbull, continues.
