Jury sent out at Sheffield bomb hoax trial that saw Park Square Roundabout sieged for 32 hours
The defendant claims he told neighbours he had a bomb to save his life from “MI5 assassins”
A jury has been sent out in a ‘bomb hoax’ trial that saw police siege a Sheffield flat block for 32 hours.
Hundreds of people were evacuated from their homes at The Gateway flat block while the nearby Park Square Roundabout - one of the busiest routes in Sheffield - was shut in all directions for two days in February 2025.
Yaqub Younis, 49, is accused of falsely telling neighbours and police he had “20kg of explosives” in his top-floor flat and threatening to “pop” the building.
He claims he made up the bomb threat because “assassins from MI5” had been surveilling him “for days,” and that raising the alarm prevented them from killing him.
Moments ago (10.15am, June 22), a jury was sent to decide if Younis is guilty of communicating a bomb hoax, public nuisance, affray and criminal damage.
‘Assassins from MI5’
Over the last two weeks, the jury heard evidence of how Younis told neighbours to evacuate The Gateway flat block on Broad Street at around 7pm on February 10, 2025.
The 49-year-old claimed he had guns, grenades and explosives and threatened to “pop” the building.
Hundreds were evacuated from flat block and forced to sleep at the Ponds Forge International Sports Centre.
Meanwhile, the Park Square Roundabout - which, according to a 2019 survey, sees over 40,000 vehicles a day - was shut in all directions for over 36 hours, bringing Sheffield to a standstill.
Younis claims he was justified in his actions because of a “genuinely held belief” that security services such as MI5 and West Midlands Counter Terrorism were trying to “kill him.”
He told he jury he believes calling the bomb threat “saved my life that day” by drawing so much attention that the “assassins” could not kill him.
He said in evidence: “I hoped to get people’s attention and cameras and save my life, and they would back away from killing me.
“And I think it did save my life.
“I still believe my life is in danger to this day. There is no doubt in my mind.”
The jury has seen extensive bodyworn camera footage from police negotiators on the day of the siege, in which Younis repeatedly shouts: “You’re not negotiators from South Yorkshire Police! You’re assassins from MI5!”
Younis claims his suspicions of being surveilled were raised after returning home on February 9 to find items on his desk rearranged, as well as his local shopkeeper “not seeming his usual, cheery self” and seeing a distinctive white Skoda in three different locations that day.
He also claims two women approached him on February 10 claiming they were plains clothes officers sent about a disturbance at his flat, and who then commented on his “strong West Midlands accent”
“That was when I saw sure my life was life was in danger,” said Younis.
On the first day of the trial, prosecutor Ms Annabel Darlow KC told the jury: “It is not expected you will hear any expert evidence about Yaqub Younis’ mental health.”
There were no explosives in the flat.