A UK teenager has been sentenced to a minimum of 13 years in prison for plotting to attack London's British Museum. It was the country's first case involving an all-female terrorism cell inspired by the "Islamic State."
Image: Reuters/Metropolitan Police
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A British court sentenced Safaa Boular Friday to life in prison with no chance of parole for 13 years for planning terror attacks in London with her mother and sister. The trio is Britain's first case of an all-female terror cell.
Prosecutors told London's Central Criminal Court that the 18-year-old began plotting an attack in Britain after authorities thwarted her attempts to travel to Syria to marry a fighter from the so-called "Islamic State" (IS).
Boular had been planning a gun and grenade assault in online messages with the militant but was arrested in April 2017, along with her sister and mother, after her plan was discovered.
Undercover officials had put the family under surveillance, tracking their movements and listening in on telephone conversations in which they discussed the plot using coded language.
IS has gone from an obscure al-Qaida splinter group to a global phenomenon. DW takes a look at the defining aspects of the jihadi group — from its "caliphate" to its tactics.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/Al-Furqan
Where did it come from?
The "Islamic State" (IS) — also known as ISIL, ISIS and Daesh — is an al-Qaida splinter group with a militant Sunni Islamist ideology. It emerged in the aftermath of the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 and is led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Their goal is to create a worldwide "caliphate." It gained worldwide notoriety in 2014 after a blitzkrieg military campaign that resulted in the capture of Mosul.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo
Where does it operate?
IS is believed to be operational in more than a dozen countries across the world. It controls territories in Iraq and Syria. However, the group has lost much of the territory it controlled in Iraq and Syria at the height of its expansion in 2014.
Who is fighting back?
The US leads an international coalition of more than 50 countries, including several Arab nations. Russia, Iran and its Lebanese Shiite ally Hezbollah, which all support the Syrian government, also fight IS. Regional forces such as the Kurdish peshmerga (above) and US-backed Syrian Kurdish fighters, fight IS on the ground. The Iraqi army and militia have pushed IS from large parts of the country.
Image: picture-alliance/abaca/H. Huseyin
How does it fund itself?
One of IS' main sources of income has been oil and gas. At one point, it controlled an estimated one-third of Syria's oil production. However, US-led airstrikes deliberately targeted oil resources and the Syrian government as well as US-backed Syrian Kurdish fighters have retaken most oil wells. Other means of income include taxes, ransom, selling looted antiquities and extortion.
Image: Getty Images/J. Moore
Where does it carry out attacks?
IS has claimed responsibility for numerous terrorist attacks across the globe. The militant group has targeted capitals across the EU, including Berlin, Brussels and Paris. IS leaders have encouraged so-called "lone wolf" attacks, whereby individuals who support IS carry out terrorist acts without the direct involvement of the group.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/M. Spingler
What other tactics does it use?
The group uses various tactics to expand its power. IS fighters have looted and destroyed historical artifacts in Syria and Iraq in an attempt at "cultural cleansing." The group has also enslaved thousands of women from religious minority groups, including Yazidis. IS also uses a sophisticated social network to distribute propaganda and recruit sympathizers.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/J. Eid
How has it impacted the region?
IS has further exacerbated the ongoing Syrian conflict. Millions of Syrians and Iraqis have fled their homes, many traveling to Europe in pursuit of refuge. Although it has lost all of its strongholds, the militant group has left extraordinary destruction in its wake. Areas affected by the militant group's rule will likely take years to rebuild.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/D. Souleiman
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'She acted with open eyes'
Defense lawyers argued that the teenager had been manipulated by the IS fighter, who was more than 10 years older, and stressed that she had since renounced her extremist views.
But the judge said there was "insufficient evidence upon which it would be safe to conclude at this stage that the defendant is a truly transformed individual."
"However much she may have been influenced and drawn into her extremism, it appeared she knew what she was doing and acted with open eyes," he said.
Boular's sister, Rizlaine Boular, 22, was sentenced in June to a minimum term of 16 years, while the mother, Mina Dich, 44, received an extended sentence of 11 years and nine months.
