TerrorismJihadist’s wife guilty of financially supporting terrorism
Nawal Msaad, a student at London Metropolitan Universitywho was accused of trying to smuggle 20,000 Euros in her underwear to support Aine Davis, a British Jihadist in Syria, has been cleared of conspiring to fund terrorism. Her friend, Amal El-Wahabi, who is Davis’s wife, has become the first Briton to be found guilty of financially supporting terrorism in Syria under the Terrorism Act. El-Wahabi will face sentencing on 12 September 2014, with a maximum of fourteen years in prison.
Nawal Msaad, a student at London Metropolitan University who was accused of trying to smuggle 20,000 Euros in her underwear to support Aine Davis, a British Jihadist in Syria, has been cleared of conspiring to fund terrorism.
Her friend, Amal El-Wahabi, who is Davis’s wife, has become the first Briton to be found guilty of financially supporting terrorism in Syria under the Terrorism Act. El-Wahabi will face sentencing on 12 September 2014, with a maximum of fourteen years in prison.
Commander Duncan Ball of London’s Metropolitan Police Service Counter Terrorism Command responded to the verdict, saying that “a necessary component of terrorism is finance. Whether the funding of terrorism takes place in the U.K. or overseas, the offences are serious and will be the subject to thorough investigation. In this case, a large quantity of cash was seized which would otherwise have supported fighters in the Syrian conflict.”
Msaad was alleged to have been recruited by El-Wahabi to take the money to Davis to help fund his terror activities with the Islamic State. In return, Msaad was promised a reward of 1,000 Euros if the money was delivered to an intermediary in Istanbul “in circumstances of secrecy and mutual trust.” TheTelegraph reports that on 16 January, police at Heathrow Airport stopped Msaad as she boarded the British Airways flight to Istanbul. She told authorities that she wanted to use the money to purchase gold for her mother, but upon interrogation by counterterrorism officers, Msaad admitted that El-Wahabi might have tried to use her to send funds to Davis. El-Wahabi was charged on 22 January 2014.
In trial, El-Wahabi denied funding terrorism and maintains that the money was intended to help her and her two young children relocate to Turkey. A search of El-Wahabi’s home found Davis’s copies of speeches and sermons by leading Jihadist preachers, including Anwar al-Awlaki. Photos of Davis showed him posing with fellow Jihadists in Syria or Iraq. While British police are unable to confirm the exact whereabouts of Davis, text communications between him and El-Wahabi show that he is committed to continuing his work with the Islamic State.
