Irish court convicts ex-Defense Forces soldier of joining ISIS
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – The Special Criminal Court in Dublin, the capital of Republic of Ireland, ruled on Monday former Irish soldier Lisa Smith over charges of joining the Islamic State Organization (ISIS) in Syria.
After a nine-week trial, the Irish former soldier, who left the army in 2011, was found guilty of joining the ISIS in Syria between October 2015 and December 2019.
The prosecution had established beyond reasonable doubt that she bought a one-way ticket from Dublin to Turkey, crossed the border into Syria and lived in Raqqa, according to the court.
At the time ISIS was controlling vast swaths of Syria and Iraq, and was able to attract thousands of foreign fighters to fight within the group.
After the defeat of ISIS in Syria in March 2019 by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) along with the US-led Global Coalition, Smith was forced to flee Raqqa and then ISIS last remaining stronghold Baghouz before returning to Ireland.
Smith was arrested at Dublin airport on December 1 2019 with her young daughter.
Earlier she was found not guilty of financing terrorism over an €800 donation she had said was for humanitarian purposes.
The Special Criminal Court in Dublin will sentence Smith on Monday, July 11.