U.S. WOMAN ARRESTED FOR INTENTION TO JOIN ISIS

An IS female fighter. (Photo: ARA News file)

Philadelphia, 17 Jumadil Akhir 1436/6 April 2015 (MINA) – On Sunday, the U.S. police arrested an American woman in the city of Philadelphia on charges of attempting to provide support to the Islamic State group (IS/ISIS) with the intention to travel to Turkey in order to join the group.

Keonna Thomas, 30, of Philadelphia, nicknamed herself as “The Young Lioness” and “Caliphate’s Lady” on social networks, ARA News quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

According to reports, Thomas was charged with attempting to provide material support to armed groups, and trying to travel outside the United States to join the group of the Islamic State, with the intent of “fighting and martyring herself for the sake of the Islamic State” as she declared earlier on her Twitter account.

U.S. security confirmed that Thomas had been tweeting calls for jihad since 2013 on her twitter account.

Last September, Thomas reportedly contacted a Somali faighters group, and the communication continued between them for months. Recently, she contacted a group in Syria (primarily IS), which had prompted security forces to monitor her travel plans.

Finally, it turned out that she had received a visa to enter Turkey after a short trip to the Spanish city of Barcelona, according to local reports.

Noteworthy, if the case charges against Thomas are proved, she may face a jail term of up to 15 years. (T/P001/R03)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)