Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
‘WILD CHILD’ & ISIS BRIDE
Radicalised woman who served on Ahern jet held in Syria with son, 2
A FORMER Irish soldier captured in Syria on suspicion of supporting Isis was described as a “wild child” by former colleagues.
Lisa Smith, who once served former taoiseach Bertie Ahern on the government jet, was detained last week by US forces in a camp in the war-torn country along with her two-year-old son.
The former private, from Dundalk, Co Louth, went from party girl to Isis bride after years of boozy clubbing drove her to make drastic changes in her life.
The 38-year-old was a self-confessed party animal who dabbled in drugs including cannabis and ecstasy from her early teens into her 20s.
An army source who served with her told the Sunday Mirror: “She was a wild girl that’s for sure. She was no saint when she was in the army. She was very wild, into all sorts.”
In an interview with the Irish Independent in 2011, Lisa revealed: “I did it all – the drink, drugs, smoking, everything.
“Sometimes I’d like to be out clubbing... but the pressure of life got to me.
“There was so much pressure to look good... and there were no morals, You come, you see the propaganda & want to live in a Muslim country
LISA SMITH
SPEAKING TO NEWSPAPER IN 2011 nothing solid. Inside I knew there was something wrong.” Lisa joined the Irish Defence Forces at 19 and after five years serving with the 27 Batallion, including a tour of duty in Kosovo, she joined the Air Corps.
She worked as a flight attendant, serving political leaders including Mr Ahern on the government jet, before joining an army transport unit.
Speaking to media shortly after converting to Islam, Lisa told how she used to hate Muslims and thought of them as “bombers”.
But after meeting several women from their community at home, she began to change her thinking.
She said: “They seemed so peaceful and content and they never worried about stuff. So I asked one of them for the loan of their koran.
“I read it and I knew straight away it was for me.
“If practised properly, Islam as a religion is brilliant – it sorts out all of mankind’s problems.”
It is understood Lisa left Ireland for Syria in 2015 to join the Isis caliphate. She married a British-born jihadi who was killed four months ago.
News of her detention first emerged last week when she was interviewed by ITN News.
Assuming a stilted accent with her face covered by a veil, the former Irish soldier warned the Isis struggle was not over.
Lisa revealed her husband’s death left her alone with their two-year-old child. She said: “The people don’t have food. They’re struggling for food and money and everything is expensive, so I don’t know how they are going to keep living.
“They’re tired, morale is low I suppose. It’s like a roller coaster for the people, some want to leave, some don’t want to leave.”
She claimed she was taken in by Isis, adding: “You come, you see the propaganda... you want Islam, you want to come and live in a Muslim country.
“A Muslim environment, Muslim music, no smoking, no drinking, no prostitution, anything like this.
“You want clean life like this but sometimes it is not like this.”
Lisa got in touch with her family last month asking for money to get to Turkey – prompting them to contact the government pleading for help to get her home. Gardai and military officers have made contact with her relatives.
Irish diplomats are now expected to travel to Syria to speak with Lisa ahead of negotiations with US officials.
Sources believe she will be allowed to return to Ireland – but she may face prosecution if authorities find evidence she actively helped in the war. Friends rallied to support her family at their home yesterday as they denied Lisa had any involvement with Isis.
They were contacted last week by gardai about the ITV recording and confirmed it was her, recognising her voice. One distraught relative said: “I just want to get her home.”
Intelligence officers are now trying to establish how Lisa became radicalised. They have been tracking her movements for the past 18 months but were unsure of her exact location until recent weeks.
A spokesman for the Department of
There has been no recent request for consular assistance from Syria
GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN
LAST NIGHT
Foreign Affairs said they are aware of reports of an Irish citizen detained in northern Syria.
They stated: “Appropriate consular assistance is provided to all Irish citizens where it is possible to do so, however, we do not comment on individual cases. It is our policy in providing consular assistance and of matters of security, that commentary is not given on individual cases and the people or families involved or their background.
“The government is aware of media speculation and reports of an Irish citizen being held in Syria.
“There has been no recent request for consular assistance from any Irish citizen inside Syria, which is an active conflict zone.”
A spokesman for the Justice Minister said he was aware of the reports but they could not comment on the detail of security matters.
He added: “The minister has stated that protecting the State and the people from terrorism and supporting international peace and security are amongst the highest priorities for the Government.”
Just two weeks ago Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said Ireland would take back extremists and we should not expect Irish citizens “to be somebody else’s problem”.