A 25-year-old man has told a jury he had no idea his old school friend was involved in transporting guns and ammunition by minicab from Bradford to Keighley.

Mobeen Hussain, of Fairbank Road, Girlington, Bradford, said he was innocently caught up in the criminality and went home as soon as he suspected “something dodgy” was going on.

Hussain is on trial at Bradford Crown Court with Ishfaq Ali, 28, of Kensington Street, Toller Lane, Bradford, and Mohammed Amber, 25, of Upper Woodlands Road, Girlington.All three deny possession of a prohibited firearm and having another firearm and ammunition in a public place.

The jury has been told Shiraz Ali, 31, also of Girlington, and Umear Hussain, 24, of Preston Place, Halifax, have pleaded guilty to the offences.

Prosecutor Tom Storey alleges all five men were involved in the movement of the firearms from Girlington to McDonald’s in Keighley on December 14.

Armed police arrested Umear Hussain and seized a bag from the minicab containing a .22 rifle, with the stock and barrel shortened, a .410 double barrelled shotgun and six shotgun cartridges.

Mr Storey said Shiraz Ali told the police a firearm was being moved that day. He was in Leeds prison after he was arrested accused of involvement in a drugs conspiracy.

Mobeen Hussain told the jury he did not know Shiraz Ali or his brother, Ishfaq Ali. He had known Umear Hussain since childhood and they were at school together.

On December 14, he and Hussain had an appointment in Bradford and then took a taxi from the Interchange to Girlington. Umear Hussain went into a house on Fairbank Road for a bag and said he had a cab waiting for him.

Mobeen Hussain said he sat in the vehicle and he hoped it would drop him off at Chicken Cottage on Duckworth Lane. But Umear Hussain, who had been joined in the street by Amber, told him to get out of the cab and he got in with the bag.

Mobeen Hussain said he set off to Chicken Cottage up an alleyway and Amber followed and set fire to a bag.

“I thought ‘There’s something dodgy going on here’,” Hussain said.

He told the jury he then went home and stayed there all that evening.

The trial continues.