A WIFE AND CHILD of Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi have been detained by the Lebanese army, security officials have claimed.
The Lebanese army made the arrests as they crossed from Syria ten days ago, Reuters reports.
The woman was described by officials as “one of his wives”, while other reports have described her as his “ex-wife”.
Al-Rai correspondent Elijah Magnier said a source within the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) had confirmed Saja Dulaimi, Baghdadi’s ex-wife and her daughter were arrested in Lebanon.
However, Mr Magnier said another source within the LAF could not confirm she is his ex-wife.
The claims could not be immediately independently verified.
The Lebanese newspaper As-Safir reported the army had detained her in coordination with “foreign intelligence apparatus”.
It said she had been travelling with a fake passport. Officials did not name or provide the nationality of the woman.
As-Safir said investigators were questioning her at the headquarters of the Lebanese defence ministry.
Charlie Winter, a researcher at the counter-extremism think tank Quilliam, said accounts belong to Isis supporters were denying the reports.
He told The Independent the denials were being circulated with the hashtag “the arrest of the wife of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is a lie” along with lengthy statements claiming the reports were false.
Isis militants have taken control of swathes of Iraq and Syria since their insurgency began earlier this year. US-led coalition air strikes have targeted the group’s self-declared caliphate but have not yet halted its advance.
The Lebanese security forces have waged a crackdown on Islamic State sympathisers in Lebanon and the intelligence services have been extra vigilant on the border crossings.
They have arrested over the past few months a number of Islamic militants suspected of staging attacks to expand Islamic State influence in the country neighbouring Syria. (Heather Saul)
Link: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/isis-leader-abu-bakr-albaghdadis-wife-and-son-detained-by-lebanese-army-9897226.html?cmpid=facebook-post
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