Dutch mom no longer suspected of terrorist plot after ISIS escape
Dutch woman Laura H., who returned to the Netherlands from Syria last year claiming she escaped from ISIS, is no longer suspected of planning an attack in the Netherlands, the Public Prosecutor said in a pro-forma hearing in the court of Rotterdam on Thursday, ANP reports.
The Public Prosecutor said that there is no evidence that H. returned to the Netherlands with orders to commit an attack. That was the main reason for keeping her in custody while she awaited her trial. She's been in the terrorist department of the Vught prison of a year. The Prosecutor sees no objection to releasing her from custody, as long as she keeps to certain conditions, including wearing an ankle monitor and avoiding contact with the media.
H. told the court that she will comply with all conditions set.
The 21-year-old woman says she escaped from Syria after being in ISIS territory for a year. She went there with her husband and two children in mid-2015. According to her, her violent husband pretended to be taking them on holiday and then pressured her to stay. She managed to escape with her two kids, leaving her husband behind.
According to her lawyer, Michiel Pestman, the Public Prosecutor does not have enough evidence to convict the young woman. "There's nothing at all." He's been pleading for her release for months.
The court will decide whether to release H. on July 26th.
