Former Irish Defence Forces soldier Lisa Smith married a member of Al Qaeda and stayed in a “bombed-out” house in Syria where militia and rebels held meetings, a court has heard.
Ms Smith, 39, is accused of holding membership of ISIS and of providing funds to benefit the group.
Giving evidence on Thursday, Tanya Joya, Ms Smith's former friend, told the Special Criminal Court in Ireland that she and her former husband, John Georgealis, had met the accused through his Facebook group “We Hear, We Obey".
Ms Joya, originally from London, was raised Muslim and said she became radicalised after the September 11 terror attacks.
She said the couple met Ms Smith in Turkey and that the trio travelled to Syria where they stayed with a Syrian general.
“We stayed in a building that was bombed out,” she said.
“It was where the militia, the rebels had meetings.
“People entering the country would stay there.”
She said they had stayed there for one week before they went to stay “with a really fanatical Syrian war man” at another location.
It was here that Ms Smith met a Tunisian man named Ahmed, a member of Al Qaeda, who she wanted to marry, Ms Joya said.
“I didn’t like it that Lisa Marie wanted to marry Ahmed,” she said.
“She didn’t know him, but he had a cute smile and he was very shy.”
Ms Joya told the court the pair got married in Syria but that she had refused to attend the wedding, saying she believed Ms Smith had been “indoctrinated”.
Ms Smith was arrested at Dublin Airport in 2019 on suspicion of terrorist offences after returning from Turkey with her young daughter.
It is alleged that between 2015 and 2019, she was a member of ISIS and she is accused of sending money to terrorists.
She has denied the charges and the trial continues.
French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
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Closing the loophole on sugary drinks
As The National reported last year, non-fizzy sugared drinks were not covered when the original tax was introduced in 2017. Sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, 20 grams of sugar per 500ml bottle.
The non-fizzy drink AriZona Iced Tea contains 65 grams of sugar – about 16 teaspoons – per 680ml can. The average can costs about Dh6, which would rise to Dh9.
Drinks such as Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino contain 31g of sugar in 270ml, while Nescafe Mocha in a can contains 15.6g of sugar in a 240ml can.
Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category
Not taxed:
Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
