Woman planning to join Islamic State arrested at Madrid’s Barajas Airport
The suspect, aged 22, was due to board a flight to Turkey, the usual entry point to Syria
A 22-year-old woman was arrested at Madrid’s Adolfo Suárez-Barajas Airport on Monday night, on suspicion that she was planning to fly to Turkey to join the militant group Islamic State (ISIS), Interior Ministry sources have told EL PAÍS.
The woman is originally from a village in Huelva, in southern Spain, and had converted to Islam and become radicalized in a short period of time via internet messages.
The Civil Guard, which was in charge of the operation, became aware of the suspect thanks to its constant monitoring of jihadist forums on the internet, the sources added.
The Civil Guard became aware of the suspect thanks to its constant monitoring of jihadist forums on the internet
The young woman was arrested when she was about to take a flight to Turkey, which is a habitual entry point to Iraq and Syria for those wishing to join ISIS. Her residence will now be searched for evidence.
In July of this year, a woman was arrested in Arrecife, Lanzarote accused of recruiting young girls and facilitating their passage to areas controlled by ISIS. The woman “incited” the minors to travel, provided them with the route and the necessary security measures to avoid detection during the journey.
According to anti-terrorist forces cited by the agency Europa Press, as of September 20 a total of 130 people had left Spain with the intention of joining jihadist groups.
English version by Simon Hunter.
