Belgian Court Strips Citizenship from Al-Qaeda Affiliate, Sentences Her to Prison

After the birth of their third child, Faiza H. had joined her husband, Feisal Yamoun, alias Abu Faris, in charge of logistics and international contacts for the Mujahideen Council and responsible for the indoctrination of Sharia4Belgium recruits, of which he is one of the founders. Once in Syria, Faiza H. is said to have also encouraged other Belgians to join her.

Feisal Yamoun died in 2014, and the defendant remarried Ibrahim Z., a member of Jabhat Al-Nusra - linked to Al-Qaeda at the time - with whom she had a fourth child. An intelligence report indicates that the couple is still active within the terrorist organization in northwestern Syria.

In addition to sentencing her to five years in prison, the court stripped her of her Belgian nationality and ordered her immediate arrest.