'Fear of hellfire' spurred Lisa Smith to join caliphate, court told

She said she would not go again if another caliphate were announced, adding: "It was four years in prison, that's the way we look at it now." 

Lisa Smith said she made a "mistake" in going but believed at the time that "it was just a state" where she would be able to raise a family among other Muslims. Photo: Collins Courts

Lisa Smith, a former Irish soldier who denies membership of Islamic State, told gardaí she believed that if she didn't travel to join the caliphate in 2015 she would burn for eternity in hell, the Special Criminal Court has heard.

She said she made a "mistake" in going but believed at the time that "it was just a state" where she would be able to raise a family among other Muslims. She said that since fleeing Syria in 2019 she has learned that there was no religious obligation on her to go.