{
  "id": 12397290,
  "title": "Appeal Court upholds Smith's conviction for IS membership",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/06/appeal-court-upholds-smiths-conviction-for-is-membership",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-06T14:31:22.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "RTE News",
    "slug": "rte-news",
    "url": "https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2026/1006/1594284-lisa-smith-court-of-appeal/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Court of Appeal has confirmed that former soldier Lisa Smith is guilty of membership in the terrorist group Islamic State (IS). Judge John Edwards explained that the court found voluntary travel to IS-controlled territory was sufficient evidence of participation in the group. This does not require proof of combat or other specific acts, but rather voluntary travel and migration to support IS's state-building project. The Special Criminal Court concluded that Smith had demonstrated adherence through participation, and there was reciprocity between her and IS. Smith, 44, was the first person convicted in an Irish court of an Islamic terrorist offence committed abroad when she traveled to Syria in 2015. Her defense argued that she did not go on a lawful journey to answer a religious calling, but rather that she deliberately traveled to Syria, engaged in a reciprocal relationship with IS, and moved with it as it lost territory after the fall of Raqqa in 2016. Smith appealed her conviction and sentence, which was rejected by the Court of Appeal in 2023. During the appeal hearing, her lawyer argued that Smith's travel was driven by a religious obligation and that she did not carry out any acts as a member of IS. However, the prosecutor pointed to evidence such as Smith's social media exchanges and text messages to family, which showed she understood the potential criminal liability of joining IS. The Court of Appeal affirmed that while Smith's actions may have been influenced by a strong belief in religious duty, this alone did not negate her criminal liability if the evidence supported a finding of membership.",
  "summary": "The Court of Appeal has upheld former solider Lisa Smith's conviction for membership of the terrorist group Islamic State.",
  "key_points": [
    "Court of Appeal upholds Lisa Smith's IS membership conviction.",
    "Voluntary travel to IS-controlled territory deemed sufficient evidence.",
    "Smith first Irish person convicted of foreign Islamic terrorist offence."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Irish Times",
        "title": "Court of Appeal upholds Lisa Smith’s conviction for Islamic State membership",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/06/court-of-appeal-upholds-lisa-smiths-conviction-for-islamic-state",
        "published": "2026-10-06T12:15:33.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Daily Post Nigeria",
        "title": "Court of Appeal reserves judgment on El-Rufai’s bail appeal",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/06/court-of-appeal-reserves-judgment-on-el-rufais-bail-appeal",
        "published": "2026-10-06T14:04:22.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}