Birmingham brothers accused of planning to join Islamic State
They both deny preparing for acts of terrorism, after being arrested last year
Two brothers accused of planning to travel to Afghanistan to support a branch of Islamic State had filled in application forms to join the banned group, a terror trial jury has heard.
Muhammad Abdul Haleem Heyder Khan, 21, and 18-year-old Muhammad Hamzah Heyder Khan both deny preparing for acts of terrorism, after being arrested at their home on St Joseph's Road in Ward End, Birmingham, last year.
Opening the Crown's case against them at the city's Crown Court today (Wednesday) prosecutor Harpreet Sandhu KC said the brothers would be referred to during the trial as Haleem and Hamzah.
Mr Sandhu told the jury trying the brothers: "Until the 2nd of November 2022, these two defendants lived with their parents and other siblings at an address in Ward End, here in Birmingham.
"Over the course of 2022 these two brothers became increasingly radicalised.
"They had prepared to travel to Afghanistan so that they could join in and support terrorist activity."
Alleging the pair had intended to be part of the terrorist organisation known as Islamic State Khurasan Province (ISKP), Mr Sandhu added: "The defendants' preparations included the purchase of clothing and equipment.
"It included conducting research into how they might travel to Afghanistan, it included obtaining travel documents so that they could travel to Afghanistan.
"And their preparations included completing application forms to join Islamic State."
The jury was told Islamic State had been proscribed by the Home Secretary in 2014, and that ISKP was recognised as one of its "regional branches".
Mr Sandhu said the brothers were arrested on November 2 after police attended their address, where they shared a bedroom, early in the morning.
Telling jurors that phone handsets and a computer tower had been recovered, the KC continued: "Both defendants were present at the address. The defendants were arrested. The house was searched.
"Items which were recovered revealed what these defendants had been up to and what they intended to get up to."
The trial continues.