Wednesday, December 04, 2019

Irish suspected ISIS bride Lisa Smith is charged with terror offences over her time in Syria

  • Irish national Lisa Smith has been charged with terror offenses following arrest 
  • Ms Smith flown back to Dublin after travelling to ISIS-controlled Syria in 2015  
  • She was charged Wednesday after questioning from counter-terrorism police 
An Irish woman suspected of having married an ISIS fighter has been charged with terror offences after being flown back to Dublin. 
Lisa Smith is a former member of the Irish army but converted to Islam a decade ago and is believed to have travelled to ISIS-controlled Syria in 2015. 
Ms Smith, a 38 year-old Irish citizen, was arrested on Sunday at Dublin Airport on suspicion of terrorist offences and was formally charged following questioning by police. 
Lisa Smith (pictured before her conversion to Islam) has been charged with terror offences in Ireland
Lisa Smith (pictured in a Syrian refugee camp) has been charged with terror offences in Ireland
Lisa Smith (pictured, left, before her conversion to Islam and, right, in a Syrian refugee camp) has been charged with terror offences in Ireland
Suspected ISIS bride Lisa Smith pictured at a Syrian refugee camp in March
Suspected ISIS bride Lisa Smith pictured at a Syrian refugee camp in March 
Lisa Smith led from a plane underneath a pink blanket after being flown back to Dublin from Turkey on Sunday
Lisa Smith led from a plane underneath a pink blanket after being flown back to Dublin from Turkey on Sunday 
She was brought back to Ireland at the weekend after being detained in a refugee camp in Syria, along with her two-year-old daughter.
Ms Smith travelled to war-torn Syria in 2015 after converting to Islam where she married and had a child. 
Her husband has since died and the child is now in custody of Ms Smith's family.
She was deported from Turkey and landed in Dublin shortly before 10.30am on Sunday, where she was met with counter-terrorism police who were investigating her activities. 
Ms Smith attended Dublin's Criminal Court of Justice on Tuesday, dressed in a black burka, where police had their time to question Ms Smith extended by a further 24 hours.  
Lisa Smith, 38, a former member of the Irish Defence Forces, was flown to Dublin while police waited for her arrival
Lisa Smith, 38, a former member of the Irish Defence Forces, was flown to Dublin while police waited for her arrival
Following questioning by officers, she was on Wednesday formally charged with terror offenses. 
The solicitor representing Ms Smith has claimed she was not a member of a terrorist organisation.
Darragh Mackin said the current evidence against her is 'inherently weak' and does not point to any terrorist offences.
'Going to a particular location is not the terrorist offence, you must be actively engaged in a terrorist organisation or the terrorist grouping,' he added.
'Lisa has categorically denied being involved in any terrorist offence or terrorist group and at this stage there's absolutely no evidence that she's been involved in any organisation or terrorist group.'
Ms Smith has continually denied training young women to fight for ISIS and says she never killed anyone. 
Speaking to BBC Radio 4, from the refugee camp in Syria where she was living until recently, Lisa said: 'I want myself an actual caliphate, as in a Muslim country. Not like a group, or a brutality group.' 
Ms Smith is originally from Dundalk in Co Louth, close to the Irish border with Northern Ireland.
She has said the father of her child was a suspected member of IS who died last year. 

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