Terror trial suspect is described as 'a pleasant, quiet man'
Susan Barson said she believed there to be "nothing untoward" about Krenar Lusha when he successfully applied for a mortgage at NatWest's St Peter's Street branch in 2008.
Lusha, 30, of Moore Street, denies 10 counts of possessing articles which give rise to a reasonable suspicion they were for a terror-related purpose.
During yesterday's proceedings at Preston Crown Court, Ms Barson was asked by defence barrister Jeremy Baker QC about her experience with Lusha during a mortgage application.
She replied: "There was nothing untoward.
"He was quite quiet and accepted my apologies for having to spend so much time on the phone between me and the mortgage centre because of problems with a computer system."
Earlier in the trial, the court heard that counter-terrorism officers found 71.8 litres of petrol in a cellar and more than two kilograms of potassium nitrate – a constituent of gunpowder – in a bedroom at Lusha's home.
Documents found on computers or drives included Hezbollah military instruction manuals, Middle Eastern Terrorist Bomb Design, Improvised Radio Detonation Techniques, Ragnar's Detonators, a car bomb recognition guide, the Mujahideen Explosives Handbook and the Bomb Book.
A video entitled "mobile detonators" was discovered, as well as 14 mobile phones.
Yesterday, Mr Baker told the jury that "a small minority" of the items did not belong to Lusha.
The court had previously heard Lusha had told women on chat programmes on the internet that he was a "very good sniper" and said he wanted revenge after the British Government put a very good friend of his in prison.
Mr Baker told the jury these words were only "edited highlights" and that the court was yet to hear Lusha's explanation.
Mr Baker said in the 10 years Lusha had been in the UK, he had "worked very hard".
He said: "At the time of his arrest, he was living in Derby. He was a hard-working young man."
Yesterday, the court heard that Lusha – a failed asylum seeker from Albania – had worked for Denby-based HL Plastics.
He had secured a 100% mortgage with NatWest to buy the Moore Street address for £92,300, and previously lived at addresses in Netherclose Street and Sale Street.
Ms Barson told the court Lusha had previously been successful in securing a mortgage loan with NatWest but that he chose not to take it up.
The trial continues.
evidence: Police searched Krenar Lusha's house in Moore Street, Normanton, last year and allegedly found manuals on bomb design and detonation techniques. Below left, an artist's impression of Lusha.
