A Formby man who fought against Islamic State has been found guilty of terrorism.
Aidan James travelled to Iraq in order to train in weaponry with the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) as part of its war efforts against the extremist group.
However the 28-year-old was cleared of a second charge of attending a terrorist training camp with the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG).
James becomes the first British person to be tried for travelling to Syria to fight Isis after similar charges were dropped against James Matthews in 2018.
In his retrial at the Old Bailey, it emerged that the Merseyside native had been repeatedly turned down by UK armed forces due to poor mental health.
He also had no prior military knowledge when travelling to Iraq in August 2017.
In conversations with officers from anti-terror programme Prevent, James said that he wanted to help both the PKK and YPG against Islamic State.
During a police interview following arrest, he said: “Nothing will stop me going, even if you take my passport off me I will still find a way to go.
“I cannot sit at home and watch people getting fucking butchered because it’s another country.”
A diary kept by the father-of-one described his experience as an ‘amazing time’, adding: “Lost good friends, met great ones, fought on front line numerous times, killed Daesh soldiers, been shot at many times by Isis and our own guys.
“Drove humvys (sic), sat on roof as drove through desert, attacked by suicide vehicles many times, mortar fire, sniper RPG, drones, chilled with donkey.”
Eventually he returned to Liverpool John Lennon Airport on February 14 last year through a multi-journey flight from Baghdad via Amsterdam.
James denied training with the PKK but declined to give evidence in court. He has been remanded in custody until sentencing on November 7.