German ISIS bride nicknamed ‘Belle of Mosul’ may face death penalty

Iraq’s prime minister said the teenage German girl found in Mosul last month who ran away from home after communicating with ISIS extremists online is still being held in a Baghdad prison.

Speaking to The Associated Press on Saturday, Haider al-Abadi said Iraq’s judiciary will decide if the teen will face the death penalty.

“You know teenagers under certain laws, they are accountable for their actions especially if the act is a criminal activity when it amounts to killing innocent people,” he said.

Sixteen-year-old Linda W. ran away last summer from her hometown of Pulsnitz in eastern Germany. She was found in the basement of a home in Mosul’s Old City by Iraqi forces who are driving ISIS militants from the city.

According to local reports, she was dubbed the Belle of Mosul by soldiers during what was described as a 'walk of shame' to a make-shift prison.

In the interview, Abadi also said the fate of 39 Indians captured by ISIS when the extremists initially overran Mosul three years ago is still unknown.

Abadi said the situation is “still under investigation at the moment. I cannot comment any further.”

Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj had told relatives of the workers in July that they might be held in a prison in Badush, northwest of Mosul, which Iraqi forces have taken back from ISIS.

The abducted workers, mostly from northern India, had been employed by an Iraqi construction company. Thousands of Indians worked and lived in Iraq before ISIS swept across the country’s north and west in 2014.

Iraqi forces declared victory over ISIS in Mosul in July after a grueling nine-month fight.

source: AFP