Irish PM Allows Former ISIS Recruit To Return To Ireland

Ireland’s Prime Minister Leo Varadkar
decided to allow ISIS suspect Lisa Smith will to return to Ireland from Syria
with her two year old child because it was the “right or compassionate thing to
do”.

However, PM Varadkar clarified that
she will have to undergo full security assessment before she can go back
home. 

The Taoiseach defended his decision
during a press conference by saying that living in Syria does not automatically
mean one is an Islamic militant:

“Going to Syria or going to live in
what was called Islamic State is not in itself an offence or a crime. So we
will need to carry out an investigation.”

“I know the authorities there will
want to interrogate her to see if she has been involved in any crimes there.
But it’s very possible that wasn’t a combatant.”

“We still don’t have full information
about this case. Each of these cases is going to have to be treated
differently.”

The 37 year old former Irish soldier
who converted to radical Islam is currently detained in Syria. Syrian
authorities will carry out an interrogation to determine whether Smith will be
prosecuted for her association with ISIS.

PM Varadkar informed reporters that
the woman in question may be tried in Syria:

“There may need to be a prosecution
there. And we’ll make sure that if she returns to Ireland, she isn’t a threat
to anybody here either.”

“But ultimately this is an Irish
citizen and we don’t believe that removing an Irish citizen’s citizenship from
her or her family, rendering them stateless, would be either the right or
compassionate thing to do.”

“As an Irish citizen, she will have
the right to return to Ireland as will her child. But as an Irish citizen, it’s
not just as simple as coming here and proceeding as if nothing had happened.”

The alleged Isis bride, Smith is a
former soldier who was a member of the Air Corps. 

She used to work on the
Government plane used to fly former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and former president
Mary McAleese. The native of Dundalk, Ireland is believed to have left for
Syria in 2015.