30-05-22, 11:55
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#89
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re: IS/Al-Qaeda/TERRORISM: 8 Found GUILTY For 2016 France Attack
ISIS Bride Lisa Smith Found GUILTY of Being Member of Murderous Terrorist Group
Former Irish Defence Forces soldier Lisa Smith, 39, accompanied an ex-president on foreign trips before travelling to war-torn Syria in 2015 after becoming radicalised
Daily Mirror 30 MAY 2022
Smith married an English ISIS fighter who was killed in Syria
Smith is seen arriving at Dublin's Central Criminal Court on January 8
A former Irish soldier has been found not guilty of trying to finance ISIS - but guilty of being a member of the terror group.
Ex Irish Defence Force member Lisa Smith, 39, was acquitted today of attempting to finance the terrorist organisation by sending a fighter an 800 Euro Western Union money transfer in 2015.
But the juryless Special Criminal Court in Dublin - which tries terrorists and other serious organised crime figures - found Smith guilty of being a member of ISIS in a ruling today.
Smith - who left the army after reading the Koran in 2010 and converting a year later - started her lengthy trial in January.
She once accompanied an ex-president and leader of Ireland on foreign trips as a soldier but went to war-torn Syria in 2015 after becoming radicalised, according to the prosecution's case.
The 39-year-old maintained her innocence throughout the proceedings and claimed she went to live in the so-called Islamic State to follow the teachings of the Koran.
Prosecutors argued that Smith - originally from Dundalk - was radicalised online before travelling to the country between 2015 and 2019.
The trial was told how Smith watched various radical videos and discussed them online. One of the clips in question showed a Jordanian pilot being burned alive.
And evidence of online conversations indicated she knew of the murderous extremists' actions in Syria before travelling there, the Irish Times reports.
Michael O'Higgins SC, defending, argued Smith was heartbroken and "desperate to find meaning in life" after the break-up of a long-term relationship that preceded her conversion.
Mr O'Higgins made two attempts to close the case down on the grounds of lack of evidence but both claims were rejected by the court.
While on remand, Smith was kept in solitary confinement on a maximum security wing in Limerick
Smith denied the allegations, claiming she travelled to the so-called Islamic State to study Islam and the Koran
The defence also argued Smith was the only person tried for travelling to Syria with the purpose of building the so-called "Caliphate" without actually committing a terror act.
He drew attention to the doctors, lawyers, and NGOs that also travelled to the area without facing prosecution, the Irish Times reports.
Smith told police after her arrest she didn't want to travel to the Middle Eastern country, but believed she would die in "hellfire" if she didn't.
She travelled to Raqqa where she met and married an English ISIS fighter and gave birth to their daughter in summer 2017.
After her husband was killed, she and her daughter stayed at different refugee camps before being flown back to Ireland in 2019, according to the Irish Times.
The judge today said Smith's intention to send 800 euro to an ISIS fighter could not be ruled beyong a reasonable to doubt to not be a charitable or humanitarian donation.
Mr Justice Tony Hunt said there was "sufficient ambiguity" as to the reasonable doubt and acquitted Smith of the charge.
That ruling was related to a charge under the Criminal Justice (Terrorist Offences) Act 2005 for financing terrorism by sending €800 in assistance, via a Western Union money transfer, to a named man on May 6, 2015.
But the court found her guilty relating to a second charge of being a member of the unlawful terrorist group.
In 2019, it emerged the terror suspect was forced to stay in her cell in a segregation wing at Limerick Prison for 20 hours a day, the Irish Daily Mirror reported.
She was also understood to be wearing her black traditional abaya robe while in her cell and spends her time reading, according to a source.
The source said at the time: “She is segregated from other inmates and spends most her time reading books in her cell. She is also allowed to watch TV.
“She’s locked up for 20 hours a day and only allowed out for four hours, to use the exercise yard or gym and the like.
“Prison staff are trying to facilitate her as best they can and it’s hoped that eventually she will be less restricted.
“There is a prayer room in the jail but she appears to use her cell most or the time. When she leaves her cell she has her full robe on.”
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