A Dewsbury businessman told a jury he made handwritten notes about training exercises for Mujahideen because he wanted to lose weight and not for any terrorism purposes.

Adeel Amjad said he copied the regime several years ago from a piece of paper he was given by a friend at the gym in Dewsbury Sports Centre.

He told Leeds Crown Court he thought the physical training exercises featured would just be another way of losing weight.

“I tried a few of them, I don’t think I did any of them completely.”

Asked by Paul Crampin defending him if he persevered with the exercises Amjad replied: “No, I tried it a few times but it was too hard for me to carry on.” He said the notebook he used was just put away in a wardrobe.

Amjad, 35 of Headfield Road, Dewsbury denies possessing the handwritten notes titled Commander of Mujahideen as a record containing information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism.

Adeel Amjad was given the notes by a friend at Dewsbury Sports Centre
Adeel Amjad was given the notes by a friend at Dewsbury Sports Centre

The jury spent an hour deliberating its verdict yesterday and will continue tomorrow.

Brett Weaver prosecuting told the jury on November 5, 2013 police visited Amjad’s home “for an entirely unrelated and irrelevant matter.” But during a search of the property the notebook containing the handwritten notes was found in a wardrobe in his bedroom along with other documents inside clear plastic envelopes.

The notebook page headed Commander of Mujahideen listed in the top half, the qualities of such a commander including being “ruthless like a bear and attacking like a wolf”.

On the lower half of the page it gave the exercise regime such as carrying 20 kilogrammes for four hours and running three kilometres in no more than thirteen and a half minutes.

He told the jury it was the Crown’s case that Amjad had the notes not as part of any keep fit regime. He said other notes and documents found referring to Jihad suggested he had them as a training plan to “provide particular help or assistance to a person seeking to commit an act of terrorism.”

Amjad told the jury in evidence he was often handed documents in the area he lived and had kept some for research purposes but did not always read them.

Leeds Crown Court

He said he attended the mosque daily and was religious. He was given the exercise list by a man at the gym years ago he knew only as Shiraz and had no idea where it originated from.

He agreed under cross-examination by Mr Weaver it was the first time he had mentioned him and that he could not give more details about where he now was.

Asked why he copied the qualities of a Mujahideen commander as well as the exercises Amjad said he thought it was mental qualities needed to do the training.

“It was just something in the drawer and forgotten about,” he said.

Mr Weaver suggested Mujahideen fighters needed to be fit to carry out Jihad.

“I suppose so,” replied Amjad. “But it was not part of my plan, it was not something I would look into at all, I never had any intention of doing anything terrorist related.”

The jury spent an hour deliberating its verdict yesterday and will continue tomorrow (Wednesday).