Dutch jihadist, baby and father in Iraqi prison
A 22-year-old Dutch woman is in prison in the Kurdish part of Iraq along with her 5-month old baby and her father. The Kurdish authorities suspect the woman of terrorism, the family's lawyer Taner Sen confirmed to RTL Nieuws after reports by NOS.
According to the lawyer, the woman and her father will appear before a judge on Wednesday.
Melis A. traveled to the middle east around two years ago, Sen said to the broadcaster. She followed a young man from The Hague who went to join a terrorist organization. The two had a child together. Sen believes the man dead. According to the lawyer, Melis was "young and naive" when she fell in love with the boy and decided to follow him to Syria.
She eventually ended up in a camp in northern Syria. Her father traveled to the region to help her and was allowed to take the woman and baby from the camp on humanitarian grounds. The three went to the Iraqi city of Erbil and reported to the Dutch consulate there. "They wanted to travel back to the Netherlands, but did not get any help from the Dutch consulate", Sen said.
A few days ago, the woman, her baby and her father were taken into custody in Erbil. The lawyer is now trying to arrange help for the family through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Public Prosecutor in the Netherlands.
The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs told RTL that they are investigating the case.
