Court hears of Lisa Smith's marriage to al Qaeda member in Syria

Tanya Joya said Ms Smith was "brainwashed into thinking if you became a martyr you get to go to paradise."

Lisa Smith at the Special Criminal Court today. Tanya Joya met Ms 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. Photo: Collins Courts

Former Defence Forces soldier Lisa Smith married a member of al Qaeda 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.