Prosecutor presses eldest sister in ISIS case over Skype conversations with Norwegian fighter
On Wednesday, prosecutor Marit Formo continued the questioning of the eldest sister, who is charged with participating in the terrorist organization ISIS. A significant point of the indictment is that she allegedly supported ISIS through her marriage to a foreign fighter. She denies the charges.
The prosecution presented a conversation they described as crucial evidence in the case. These conversations occurred in the days leading up to the sisters’ departure for Syria on October 17, 2013. The eldest sister spoke via Skype with a Norwegian foreign fighter from Bærum, who had already left Norway to fight for ISIS.
Just under a week before the sisters traveled to Syria, the eldest sister discussed marriage with this man, often referred to in the media as the “pike fisherman.” The conversations involved topics such as marriage, children, and preparing a home for the sisters. The sister indicated that her intention in talking to him was to get to know him in relation to marriage.
When questioned about their plans, the sister stated last week that the primary goal was never marriage but to visit a close friend and engage in humanitarian work. The prosecutor pressed her on whether the real plan was to meet the “pike fisherman.” The sister insisted it was not part of the original plan but rather an alternative.
The prosecutor questioned why she never mentioned humanitarian work in her conversations with the ISIS fighter. She responded that she believed he was already aware of that intention. The defendant acknowledged that she was quite naive at 19, leaving the planning to someone else. The friend mentioned in the case has previously been convicted for participating in ISIS and is expected to testify in court later.
The prosecution asserts that the conversation reveals the true purpose behind the sister’s journey, declaring it was primarily to marry a foreign fighter in Syria, not humanitarian work, as she had maintained in court.