Yusuf’s clean-cut appearance and easy manner belie his radical jihadist thoughts.
But after five years in jail for helping the JW Marriott Hotel bombers in 2003, the former Jemaah Islamiah member is embracing the chance of a new beginning offered by his mentor, counter-terrorism expert Noor Huda Ismail.
As a former journalist for The Washington Post , Huda interviewed Yusuf behind bars in 2003, then visited him regularly. Released in 2008, Yusuf contacted Huda for help. “Now he’s in charge of the cafe, he has meaning in his life,” says Huda.