German woman charged over years in IS-controlled Syria

BERLIN – German prosecutors have filed terrorism charges against a German woman arrested after allegedly spending several years in a part of Syria controlled by the Islamic State group.

Federal prosecutors said Wednesday that 32-year-old Sabine Ulrike Sch., whose full name wasn’t disclosed in line with privacy rules, faces charges of membership in a terrorist organization, looting and violating weapons laws.

They said she travelled to Syria in late 2013 and married an IS fighter, living with him in houses seized by the group. She allegedly received weapons training between 2014 and mid-2017 and wrote blogs praising life in IS-controlled territory. Her husband died in fighting in 2016.

The woman was captured by Kurdish forces in September 2017 along with the wives of other IS fighters and returned to Germany in April.