Courts / Dublin / Report
Lisa Smith's membership of ISIS 'beyond suspicion', FBI agent tells trial
Summary
During the Special Criminal Court trial, an FBI agent testified that it was "beyond suspicion" that former Irish soldier Lisa Smith had joined ISIS while in Syria. The agent, who cannot be named, was in Syria in 2019 when Smith was held in the Ain Issa camp. He confirmed that Smith had been a member of the Irish army and could have been recruited to train women in the Khatibah, an all‑female ISIS battalion. Another FBI witness, Agent C, provided admissible evidence that Smith met the ISIS propagandist John Georgelas (Abu Hassan) in 2012 via Facebook, travelled to Turkey in 2013, and crossed into Syria with him. Smith returned to Ireland in 2014, went back to the Middle East in 2015, and by June 2016 was living in Syria, married, and residing in Raqqa. She later moved to refugee camps Al‑Hawl and Ain Issa.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Lisa Smith's membership of ISIS 'beyond suspicion', FBI agent tells trial. Procedural stage: trial
When:
- September 2013 Hearing Or Sentence
- September 2014 Other
- October 2015 Hearing Or Sentence
- June 2016 Hearing Or Sentence
- February 2017 Hearing Or Sentence
- December 1, 2019 Incident
- 2022-02-11 Publication
Why: Agent B, who cannot be identified because he is involved in counter terrorism operations around the world, told Ms Smith's defence counsel Michael O'Higgins SC that he was in Syria in 2019 when Ms Smith was being held in the Ain Issa camp. Defence account reported by CNI
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