Ex-Irish soldier jailed for 15 months for ISIS/Daesh membership

By Karim El-Bar

LONDON (AA) – Lisa Smith, a former soldier in the Irish Defense Forces, was jailed for 15 months on Friday for being a member of the ISIS/Daesh terrorist group.

Smith, 40, was found guilty in May by a non-jury Special Criminal Court in the Irish capital Dublin.

She, however, was acquitted of a separate charge of financing terrorism.

Smith was a member of the Irish Defense Forces from 2001 to 2011, when she converted to Islam. She applied for discharge because of inconsistencies between her military service and her interpretation of Islam, such as not being able to wear a hijab.

In 2015, she traveled to the ISIS/Daesh-held territory in Syria, gave birth to a daughter in 2017, and in 2019 returned to Ireland after the terrorist group’s collapse.

She was arrested at Dublin Airport, and subsequently charged with terror offenses.