Isis bride encouraged training children to use weapons
Lisa Smith posted image of Islamic f ighter while on visit to Tunisia
ISIS bride Lisa Smith encouraged training children in weapons online before she left Ireland for Syria.
Ms Smith shared a meme on social media of a girl wearing Islamic clothing shooting a weapon with the caption ‘Teach your children swimming, archery and horse riding’.
The post was shared during one of Ms Smith’s visits to Tunisia, when she posed with weapons.
The Louth woman, who has denied any wrongdoing during her time with Isis, is alleged to have trained girls in weapons during her second time in Syria in 2015.
In an interview with RTÉ, Ms Smith denied allegations by girls in Isis terror capital Raqqa that she trained them in an Isis school.
‘Where are these children? Bring them to me,’ Smith said from her last-known confirmed location in a camp near Ain Issa, northeastern Syria.
Ms Smith went on to claim she did not speak Arabic well and that the accusers didn’t know the name she went by during her time with Isis.
The Arabic name Khadija is believed to have been adopted by Ms Smith. She used it online and during her first trip to Syria in September 2013. Identifying
her Arabic nickname – or kunya – is vital in discovering what role she played in the terror group, who at its height controlled an area the size of Britain.
While several sources confirm Ms Smith used the name Khadija in Syria, some claim she may have changed it during her time with Isis.
‘Khadija is a name for an older woman. Even though Lisa was one of the older foreign women she didn’t really like that name. She’d likely have changed it,’ a source said.
Security sources across Europe are facing difficulties identifying Isis fighters without having access to their kunyas. Under Isis, Lisa did not use her real name. Her passport would have been given to an Isis emir when she crossed into the organisation’s territory in September 2015.
The lack of photographs and documents are proving a headache for gardaí, who are trying to establish a case against the Isis supporter. But it is believed a file is being prepared for the DPP at the moment.
The fact that any crimes Ms Smith may have been involved with were carried out in a war zone is adding to the complexity of her case.
Sources close to Ms Smith claim she does not want to return to Ireland despite a Government delegation travelling to Turkey to negotiate her release. ‘She doesn’t want to come home. She’s heard everything that was said about her and is furious. She thought she had some information that could help her but apparently no one is interested,’ a source said. If she rejects consular assistance, she could still face deportation back to Ireland. Ms Smith is currently being held by a Turkish-backed militia under orders from Ankara. They could decide to deport the Isis bride via Turkey even if she doesn’t want to be repatriated.
Ms Smith will be issued an emergency travel document by Irish authorities that will be valid for a short period and can only be used on one journey to Ireland.
The document has yet to be issued to Ms Smith as she is still in a conflict zone.
Smith’s Arabic identity vital to Garda inquiries