German sentenced to death for joining 'IS'
January 21, 2018
A German woman of Moroccan origin was sentenced to death by hanging by a court in Iraq on Sunday after she was found guilty of joining the "Islamic State" (IS) group.
The unnamed woman was convicted of "offering logistic support and helping the terrorist group to carry out criminal acts," and "taking part in attacks against security forces," Supreme Judicial Council spokesman Abdul-Sattar Bayrkdar said.
He added that the woman had admitted during interrogation that she joined IS after traveling from Germany to Syria and then to Iraq along with her two daughters. Both daughters later married militants.
Read more: Children of 'Islamic State' struggle to integrate in Germany
The woman was captured last year during the operation by Iraqi forces to recapture Mosul from the militant group.
She is the first foreign woman to be sentenced to death in Iraq for joining IS.
The verdict can be appealed.
Fighters and wives await trial
Hundreds of foreign fighters from Europe joined IS after the jihadist group seized large swathes of territory in Iraq and neighboring Syria in 2014.
Read more: From fighting 'Islamic State' to rotting in Iraqi jail
Many of them, including women, were arrested as Iraqi forces expelled the militants from the country.
Germany's justice ministry confirmed last September that a German teenage girl suspected of joining IS was detained in Mosul.
German news magazine Der Spiegel reported she was being held in Baghdad along with three other German women, including one of Moroccan origin.
The teenager, known only as Linda W. under Germany's privacy laws, from Pulsnitz in Saxony, apparently married a Chechen IS fighter.
Read more: German 'Islamic State' bride regrets joining terror group in Iraq
Many other IS rebels and their wives are thought to have escaped capture by blending in with civilians fleeing the fighting.
Baghdad declared victory against IS in December but the group has continued to carry out attacks including in the capital.
mm/jlw (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)