Former Defence Forces soldier Lisa Smith married a member of al Qaida and stayed in a “bombed-out” house where militia and rebels held meetings when she was in Syria, her trial has heard.

The Co Louth woman, 39, has pleaded not guilty to charges of membership of the illegal organisation, the so-called Islamic State, and of providing funds to benefit the group.

Giving evidence on Thursday, Tanya Joya told the Special Criminal Court that she and her then-husband John Georgealis had met the accused through his Islamic Facebook group We Hear, We Obey.

Ms Joya, originally from London, was born a Muslim and said she had become “radicalised” after the September 11 terror attacks in 2001.

She met Mr Georgealis, a US man who converted to Islam, online and the pair subsequently married, and travelled to numerous Muslim countries.

They met Smith in Turkey in 2013, but crossed the border into Syria when they were unable to find housing due to an influx of refugees into the country.

Ms Joya told the court that Ms Smith was “excited” to be in Syria, and that she had told her she was planning to die there and become a martyr.

She told the court she was initially happy to meet Smith because she “seemed nice” and was able to help her with her four children.

But she said that shortly after Smith arrived in Turkey “it got a bit ugly”.

She said: “She wanted to go to Syria.

“All Muslims felt an obligation to help the rebels, because they were being oppressed.

“They were brainwashed into thinking if you became a martyr you get to go to paradise.

“Who wouldn’t want that?”

Ms Joya said they had respected Smith “because she had training in the army”, and “she wanted to hep the rebels”.

She added: “Lisa Marie wanted to go to Syria.

“She was determined, it was her goal.

“I was opposed to it because I was afraid.

“I didn’t want to go into a war-zone with my kids.”

The court heard that while Ms Joya was fearful about the war, her husband and Smith would “crack jokes about how close we were to Syria”.

She said the trip “wasn’t planned”, but because they were unable to get housing in Turkey they had taken an overnight bus into Syria.

“John promised it was only for a couple of weeks. We stayed in a building that was bombed out, it was owned by a Syrian general,” she said.

Ms Joya said the house had no electricity, the windows had been smashed, there were bullet holes in the walls and that it was “very dirty”.

She added: “It was where the militia, the rebels had meetings.

“People entering the country would stay there.”

She said they had stayed there for one week, before they went to stay “with a really fanatical Syrian women” at another location.

It was here that Smith met a Tunisian man named Ahmed, a member of al Qaida, who she wanted to marry.

Ms Joya told the court that she had advised Smith to marry for her own protection.

However, she said she was opposed to her marrying Ahmed because they did not know each other or speak the same language.

“I didn’t like it that Lisa Marie wanted to marry Ahmed.

“I thought it was batsh*t crazy” she said.

She said of Smith that “everyone loved her”, while Ahmed was “handsome and charming.”

Asked why she thought Smith wanted to marry him, Ms Joya replied: “Because he was hot, that’s why.

“And he was a fighter.”

“She didn’t know him, but he had a cute smile and he was very shy,” she added.

Ms Joya told the court the pair got married in Syria, but that she had refused to attend.

“She knew I thought it was ridiculous. She didn’t care. To her I wasn’t a good Muslim, and I wasn’t. I didn’t want to be a Muslim,” she said.

Ms Joya told the court that around this time she got her hands on a “burner” mobile phone, called her husband’s mother and told her to report him to the FBI.

She made plans to leave Syria and Smith asked her if she planned to tell the authorities about her.

“I said yes, I had to,” Ms Joya told the court.

“She just shrugged.

“She didn’t argue with me.

“She knew I was going to do what I had to do.”

She said Smith had blocked her on Facebook after that conversation.

She said the accused stayed in Syria when she made her journey back to the UK, and then to the US.

“She (Smith) was not going to leave. It was never her intention to leave. I didn’t care.

“It was like, good riddance. I just wanted to look after my kids,” she said.

Ms Joya told told the court she believed Smith had been “indoctrinated”.

“She was told what to think.

“She obeyed because she believed in God” she added.

The case received widespread attention in 2019 when it emerged that Smith, a former Air Corps soldier who had worked on the Government jet, had been detained in Syria over alleged links to IS.

Smith was arrested at Dublin Airport in 2019 on suspicion of terrorist offences after returning from Turkey in November with her young daughter.

She had travelled to Syria a number of years ago after she converted to Islam.

Smith is charged under Section Six of the Criminal Justice (Terrorist Offences) Act 2005 which makes it an offence to join a foreign unlawful organisation.

It is alleged that between October 28 2015 and December 1 2019 at a location outside the State, she was a member of a terrorist group styling itself as the Islamic State.

She has also been accused of financing terrorism by sending 800 euro (£670) in assistance by Western Union money transfer to a named individual in 2015.

The trial will resume at 10.30 am on Friday.

Former Defence Forces soldier Lisa Smith “enveloped herself in the black flag” of the so-called Islamic State, the Special Criminal Court has heard.

The Co Louth woman, 39, pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to charges of membership of the illegal organisation and of providing funds to benefit the group.

Sean Gillane SC, for the prosecution, told the court that the accused’s conduct during the period between 2015 and 2019 when she travelled to Syria could “prove membership” of the terror organisation.

He said the court would hear evidence that Smith had taken part in “hijrah”, or migration to territories controlled by the Islamic State.

“Hijrah in this context is a central act of allegiance to this proto-State, without which the organisation cannot survive. It is the very lifeblood of the Islamic State,” Mr Gillane told the court.

“IS needed fighters but also those who could give sustenance and vitality to the group.”

He said that participation in that act of hijrah was to “self-identify as a member” of the organisation.

Mr Gillane added: “There is no duality or split between a good Islamic State and a bad one, into which one might fall through happenstance or misfortune.”

He said the evidence would show that Smith willingly remained in Syria, married there and that her movements mirrored that of the terror group when they lost territories in the region.

The prosecutor said there was a “reciprocity” to Ms Smith’s allegiance to IS, in that she had received “protection” while in the region.

“Ms Smith specifically addressed, assessed and answered the call to migrate to territory controlled by IS,” Mr Gillane said.

“Every inch of that territory was won by a targeted campaign of violence.”

Mr Gillane said the evidence would show that Smith was part of a Telegram group in June 2015 that discussed a video by the Islamic State showing the drowning of five men in a cage.

He said the members discussed why they had been drowned, with Smith responding: “OK, I understand why they were drowned. I didn’t know half of the story.”

The court heard that the accused had begun her trip to Syria October 2015, and that she had lied to family members about her destination.

Smith bought a one-way ticket from Dublin to Istanbul, which was paid for in cash, the court heard.

From there, she crossed the border into Syria and IS-controlled territory.

When she arrived, she was instructed to change the security settings on her phone, and to join another group on the private messaging service Telegram, the court was told.

Around this time, Smith “made clear to her family her desire to stay”, the court heard.

On Tuesday the court heard from the first witness, Una McCartney, from Dundalk, a friend of Smith’s for between 15 and 20 years.

She told the court that she and Smith had had plenty of discussions about religion around the time of her conversion to Islam around 2007.

Ms McCartney described them as “normal discussions” regarding different beliefs in Catholicism and Islam.

She said Smith had discussed moving to a Muslim country because she wanted to be “surrounded by people who were the same faith as her”, but said she did not recall Smith stating any intention to travel to Syria.

Under cross-examination by Michael O’Higgins SC for the defence, Ms McCartney said Smith has a troubled background.

“I don’t think her home life growing up was too great. Her dad was an alcoholic, I think he probably was a bit violent,” she told the court.

“We all enjoyed drinking, partying, myself included. We were probably a bit wild.”

Ms McCartney added: “Drink didn’t really suit her.”

The witness told the court that she believed Smith’s interest in Islam would “fizzle out” over time.

“She would go hell for leather with things in the beginning and then it would fizzle out. I thought this would fizzle out as well.”

Ms McCartney agreed with Mr O’Higgins that the accused had been “vulnerable” at the time.

“My impression was she needed help or counselling. She had burned bridges with some of her friends,” the witness said.

Ms McCartney said the accused may have turned to Islam to find some solace.

She recalled her Garda interview in which she described Smith as “very naive and easily taken in by somebody promising her something”.

The case received widespread attention in 2019 when it emerged that Smith, a former Air Corps soldier who had worked on the Government jet, had been detained in Syria over alleged links to IS.

Smith was arrested at Dublin Airport in 2019 on suspicion of terrorist offences after returning from Turkey in November with her young daughter.

She had travelled to Syria a number of years ago after she converted to Islam.

Smith is charged under Section Six of the Criminal Justice (Terrorist Offences) Act 2005 which makes it an offence to join a foreign unlawful organisation.

It is alleged that between October 28 2015 and December 1 2019 at a location outside the State, she was a member of a terrorist group styling itself as the Islamic State.

She has also been accused of financing terrorism by sending 800 euro in assistance by Western Union money transfer to a named individual in 2015.

Smith has denied the charges.

A former member of the Defence Forces is seeking to have charges of being a member of so-called Islamic State (IS) and financing terrorism dropped at the Special Criminal Court.

Lawyers for Louth woman Lisa Smith, 39, have made an application for the case against her to be dismissed.

It is expected that they will argue there is not sufficient evidence to convict their client on any of the charges.

The case received widespread attention in 2019 when it emerged that Smith, a former Air Corps soldier who had worked on the Government jet, had been detained in Syria over alleged links to IS.

Smith was arrested at Dublin Airport in 2019 on suspicion of terrorist offences after returning from Turkey in November with her young daughter.

She had travelled to Syria a number of years ago after she converted to Islam.

Smith is charged under Section Six of the Criminal Justice (Terrorist Offences) Act 2005 which makes it an offence to join a foreign unlawful organisation.

It is alleged that between October 28, 2015 and December 1 2019 at a location outside the State, she was a member of a terrorist group styling itself as the Islamic State.

She has also been accused of financing terrorism, by sending 800 euro in assistance by Western Union money transfer to a named individual in 2015.

She has denied the charges.

The trial was scheduled to begin on Tuesday, but the non-jury court will first have to deal with pre-trial application.

Read more: IS Bride, Lisa Smith, Was Not A Member of a Terrorist Group, Solicitor Claims

The solicitor representing a former member of the Irish military who became a so-called Islamic State (IS) bride in Syria has claimed she was not a member of a terrorist organisation.

Darragh Mackin said the current evidence against Lisa Smith is “inherently weak” and does not point to any terrorist offences.

He said that Ms Smith has a “very strong case to make”.

The 38-year-old is being questioned by gardai (Irish police) after she was arrested at Dublin Airport on Sunday following her arrival from Turkey.

Mr Mackin, a solicitor at Phoenix Law in Belfast, said the investigation is in its early stages but that Ms Smith is fully co-operating with gardai.

Speaking to RTE’s Morning Ireland, Mr Mackin said: “We are satisfied that the investigation is progressing at a reasonable speed and we hope to bring matters to a conclusion as quickly as possible.

“One thing is clear, and has been clear from the various interviews that Lisa has given: Lisa has categorically denied any involvement in any terrorist group or organisation.

“For people to publicly remove or disassociate themselves from Isis in itself is unprecedented and unheard of, especially for somebody who’s in the camp at that particular time.

“We are of the view that the evidence at this stage is inherently weak and does not point to any terrorist offences, and we believe Lisa has a very strong case to make and is making that case.”

Ms Smith went to war-torn Syria in 2015 after converting to Islam.

Mr Mackin said that going to the Middle Eastern country is not a terrorist offence.

“Going to a particular location is not the terrorist offence, you must be actively engaged in a terrorist organisation or the terrorist grouping,” he added.

“Lisa has categorically denied being involved in any terrorist offence or terrorist group and at this stage there’s absolutely no evidence that she’s been involved in any organisation or terrorist group.

“We must be clear that the word Islamic State is not necessarily a direct link to Isis, of course there are all those connotations.”

In a previous interview earlier this year, Ms Smith told a journalist that she joined Islamic State but did not fight for them.

“That interview was given at a time when she was detained in a camp,” the solicitor added.

“In the camp it was well-known that those women who spoke out or in any way disassociated themselves from the violent end of Isis were subject to threats, to raping, to torture.”

Asked about allegations that the Co Louth woman helped train young women in Tunisia, he said: “The reality is there has not been one witness statement and not one witness who has come forward and has suggested that took place.

“There are allegations of hearsay without any foundation or basis.”

Ms Smith’s two-year-old daughter is being cared for by her family while she is being questioned by gardai in Dublin.

She was deported from Turkey and landed in Dublin shortly before 10.30am on Sunday.

She was met by counter-terrorism police who have been investigating her activities.

Images of her arrival showed her covered in a pink blanket as she was taken from the aircraft.