Lisa Smith denies Islamic State membership and terrorism funding

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Lisa Smith pleaded not guilty at the Special Criminal Court to membership of Islamic State and financing terrorism. The proceedings were reported on 28 February 2022.

The charges alleged that Smith was a member of the unlawful terrorist group between 28 October 2015 and 1 December 2019, and that she financed terrorism by sending €800 to a named man through Western Union on 6 May 2015.

Pat Reilly told the court that, while on guard duty with Smith at Casement Aerodrome in Baldonnel on 12 February 2011, he heard her criticise western governments and the Irish government and discuss Islam. He said she described the government as “all a shower of bastards” and Islam as “the way forward”.

Under questioning by defence counsel Justin McQuade, Reilly said he was generally aware that Smith was converting to Islam in 2011. He said he would not be surprised to learn that her superior officers had described her performance as “very good” and that a colonel had described her in November 2010 as “industrious, hard-working, reliable, working in a sensitive area providing a VIP service”.

The trial was continuing before Mr Justice Tony Hunt, presiding, with Judge Gerard Griffin and Judge Cormac Dunne. The report said legal argument about Australian federal officers’ evidence was due the following day.