Schoolgirl, 16, who ran away
from home in Germany to
join ISIS is found
Linda W,
Linda fled a year ago after flying from Frankfurt to Turkey
before making her way to Syria. Pictured: Linda being captured
as Mosul was recaptured from ISIS
She was captured in the ruins of Mosul alongside women
wearing suicide vests
- The runaway schoolgirl was identified
- as Linda W from town of Pulsnitz, Dresden
- She flew from Frankfurt to Turkey
- around a year ago, before sneaking
- into Syria
- After being radicalised in Germany,
- she posted images of herself with
- headscarf
- Linda was captured in Iraqi city of
- Mosul which was recently liberated
- from ISIS
- German officials said she was one of 20
- ISIS followers captured after the city fell
A 16-year-old German schoolgirl who ran away from home
Linda Wenzel, from the town of Pulsnitz, near Dresden, was
found with members of the terror group's fearsome all-female
police force, some of whom were wearing suicide vests.
She fled Germany a year ago by posing as her mother Catherine
and flying from Frankfurt to Turkey, before making her way into Syria.
Police believe she had fallen in love with a Muslim man she
met online who persuaded her to move to Syria to join him.
She was among 20 ISIS followers seized after Mosul fell
following a ten month battle which left 25,000 Jihadists dead
and Iraq's second largest city destroyed.
She was caught in a tunnel system in Mosul with other women,
some of whom wore suicide vests and had automatic weapons.
Media reports said they worked for the ISIS police force in the city.
Among those detained were women from Russia, Turkey,
Canada and Chechnya. All were seized during military
mopping-up operations last Thursday.
Authorities in Germany, who listed her as a potential terror
suspect after her disappearance, confirmed they are examining
the photos of her captured in newly liberated Mosul to
determine it is actually her.
Newspaper Die Welt, citing security sources, said the
captive girl is definitely the missing schoolgirl from Germany.
Linda fled a year ago after flying from Frankfurt to Turkey
before making her way to Syria. Pictured: Linda being
captured as Mosul was recaptured from ISIS
Radicalised in Germany, Linda changed her name to Mariam
and sometimes posted photos of herself on her Facebook
page wearing a headscarf.
'There are new findings in the criminal investigation that
are being tested,' said chief prosecutor Lorenz Haase.
He added: 'When she is clearly identified, the investigation
will be resumed.'
Linda W was unhappy at home and turned to Islam and
soon began engaging with ISIS followers in the Middle
East on Internet chat rooms.
Her friends told police she had started learning Arabic,
taking the Koran to school, wearing conservative clothing
and becoming fascinated with Islam before her disappearance.
She was under the observation of German intelligence
officials suspected of plotting a serious crime against the
state when she fled abroad, where she fell in with ISIS
offshoot groups before being smuggled into Iraq.
Before fleeing, Linda told her mother she was going
to stay with friends but instead forged a letter
pretending to be Catherine which allowed her to
withdraw money from the bank.
Linda (pixelated, seeminly after she was captured) was among
20 ISIS followers seized after Mosul fell following a ten month
battle which left 25,000 Jihadists dead
Linda W (pixelated, before fleeing to Syria) was unhappy at
home and turned to Islam and soon began engaging with
ISIS followers in the Middle East on Internet chat rooms
She then used the counterfeit bank authorisation
and her mother's forged identification papers to buy
the ticket to Istanbul.
When her mother noticed she was missing, the
teenager had already flown to Turkey and vanished.
Linda's mother said in July last year: 'When she did not
come back and then I found out she had never
even been there, I called the police.
'In her room they found a print of a plane ticket to
Istanbul under the mattress. I was shocked, my
daughter has never stolen or lied about anything before.
'I am devastated by the fact that she was apparently
completely brainwashed and persuaded to leave
the country by someone and that she managed
to hide it from me.'
Her classmate Jule, 16, had noticed her best friend
change over time, and said: 'More and more Linda
shied away from the rest of us.
'She suddenly dressed in long clothes, was learning
Arabic and reading the Koran.'
No comments:
Post a Comment