ISIS bride faces trial in NSW on charges of voluntarily entering Syria to join her husband

Mariam Raad appeared in court on Wednesday for the first time since she was accused of knowingly entering Islamic State territory in 2014 to join the father of her four children, senior IS fighter Muhammad Zahab.

The 31-year-old appeared in Young Local Court, where her case was adjourned to give prosecutors more time to compile “pending” evidence, including financial records and messages sent from mobile devices while she was in Syria.

Ms Raad has been living in the regional town in NSW since she was brought back to Australia in October last year from a camp for displaced people in north-east Syria, where she had lived for around three years.

She was rescued from the miserable conditions in the Al Roj camp near the Iraqi border along with three other women and 13 children whose relatives are missing or deceased IS members.

Ms Raad faces up to 10 years in prison after she was arrested in Young in January and accused of entering a part of Syria under IS control in violation of federal law.

Mariam Raad (pictured with one of her brothers) has been living in the NSW regional town since she was brought back to Australia in October last year from a camp for displaced people in north-east Syria, where she had been living for around three years

Ms Raad (pictured outside the court) faces up to 10 years in prison after she was arrested in Young in January and accused of entering a part of Syria under IS control in violation of federal law

She had to surrender her passport as she was granted bail at Griffith Magistrates Court following her arrest, which appeared from custody in Wagga Wagga.

Police will try to prove in court that Ms Raad traveled to the conflict region to join her husband, a former maths teacher turned star recruiter for IS, who left Australia in 2013 and is believed to have died in 2018.

Police, who began investigating Ms Raad while she was still in Syria, claim they knew of her husband’s involvement in IS.

Ms Raad arrived in court on Wednesday morning wearing a brown hijab, large sunglasses and a disposable mask that covered most of her face.

She sat in silence during the brief hearing, accompanied by one of her brothers as the two watched her attorney and the prosecutor’s attorney appear via video link.

The court heard that Ms Raad’s lawyers wanted the case transferred to Goulburn Magistrates’ Court to make it easier for them to attend in person and to prevent Ms Raad from appearing at the next hearing herself.

The judge granted Ms Raad’s request not to appear at her next court hearing and an eight-week break requested by prosecutors’ attorneys.

But he said the attorney general must approve moving the case to another court to ease the burden on lawyers.

Ms Raad said nothing to journalists who ran towards her as she exited the courthouse and got into an SUV parked in front of the building before being driven away by her brother.

The case is scheduled to be brought back to court on May 10.

Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk