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Woman Who Travelled To Syria With Lisa Smith Gives Evidence

Laura Donnelly
Laura Donnelly

05:44 27 Jan 2022


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A woman who travelled to Syria with Lisa Smith has told her trial that Lisa was "indoctrinated" and told what to think.

She was giving evidence before the Special Criminal Court where Ms Smith stands accused of being a member of ISIS and of trying to finance terrorism.

Tania Joya was radicalised at the time of the 9/11 attacks.

In March 2003, she married an American convert to Islam called John Georgelas.

She said she was introduced to Lisa Smith through a private Facebook page set up by her husband.

They met her in a hotel in Turkey in August 2013. She said Lisa wanted to go to Syria to help with the rebellion against Bashar al-Assad.

Lisa got married to an al-Qaeda fighter just weeks after arriving in Syria.

Despite very difficult living conditions, Ms Joya described Lisa as “happy” and she said everyone loved her because she covered up.

She said men were “drooling” over her because she was a white woman.

After three weeks in Syria, Tania decided to leave with her kids.

Just before she did, she said Lisa asked her if she was going to report her to the authorities. She said Lisa just shrugged when she said she was.

She said Lisa had no intention of leaving. Later, she noticed she had blocked her on Facebook.

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