A CHILDHOOD friend of an Aberdeen man who appeared in an Islamic militant video today told how he had been “brainwashed” by extremists.

The man said Abdul Raqib Amin, known as Raqib, was “just a normal guy” who was protective of his friends.

The pal spoke out after Raqib, who is in his mid-20s and grew up in the Froghall area of the city, was thought to be one of three British men in a recruitment video for the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isis).

In the 13-minute video, titled There’s No Life Without Jihad, the three British men appeal for Westerners to join their cause and “sacrifice” for the “sake of Allah”. Raqib, who was also known as Rahul, attended Sunnybank School before he went to St Machar Academy then Aberdeen College.

Today one of Raqib’s closest friends spoke of the boy he grew up with far from the man holding a gun in the militant recruitment video.

The friend, who did not want to be named, said: “I think he has been brainwashed by someone.

“The man in the video is not the Raqib I know.”To read the full exclusive interview, pick up a copy of today’s Evening Express orbuy our digital edition.Aberdeen community’s shock at Isis recruit