Nawal Msaad
Nawal Msaad is a woman from the United Kingdom who was tried and acquitted of terrorism related charges in 2013-2014.[1][2][3]
Msaad, and her childhood friend, Amal el-Wahabi, were the first women in the United Kingdom to face charges related to the conflict in Daesh occupied Syria.[1] El-Wahabi was charged with trying to pay Msaad to carry funds to Syria, to support Daesh. El-Wahabi was convicted, and sentenced to serve 28 months. Msaad was acquitted.
Msaad said she had always like el-Wahabi, but they were not close friends.[4] She said el-Wahabi offered to pay her to carry funds to Istanbul, to give to her husband, Aine Lesley Davis.[1] She said she did not realize Davis may have earned the money dealing drugs, she did not realize surreptitiously carrying large amounts of cash was illegal, or that Davis intended to use the funds to help finance his activities as a foreign volunteer, fighting for Daesh, in Syria. She said she believed her friend and her husband planned to use the funds to finance el-Wahabi's relocation there.
At the airport Msaad openly acknowledged to officials that she was carrying cash - according to law enforcement 20,000 euros, much of it in 500 euro notes.[4] UK officials have proscribed the use of 500 euro notes, in the UK, in an attempt to curb organized crime.
In its reporting The Mirror described Msaad as "stunning" and "glamourous", noting that reporters routinely told readers about the short miniskirts she wore to court, noting, in particular, that on the day the verdict was read, she went to court wearing hot pants and a tight black top.[5]
In November, 2014, several months after her acquittal, Msaad asserted that UK Police had been "pursuing an agenda" in their investigation of her.[6] She also criticized "sexism in the media" in the biased reporting of her trial.[7] Prior to her acquittal elements of the UK press nicknamed her the "jihottie", combining the word "jihadist" with "hottie".
While she testified, at her trial, that she felt she had been "stitched up" - ie manipulated through lies - by her friend el-Wahabi, in November 2014 she told The Guardian that she forgave her, because she understood el-Wahabi was the victim of her husband's bullying.[7]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Sandra Laville, Duncan Gardham (2014-08-13). "Two unlikely jihadis: the 'weed-smoking kaffir' and the ignorant dupe". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2023-08-29. https://web.archive.org/web/20230829210528/https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/aug/13/amal-el-wahabi-nawal-msaad-trial-syria-terrorism. Retrieved 2023-08-31. "When she was caught at Heathrow the euros were found in large sums tightly rolled up and stuffed into her knickers as she tried to board the flight. But she immediately admitted to having the money when she was stopped."
- ↑ Dominic Casciani (2014-08-13). "Woman cleared of smuggling money for Syria in underwear". BBC News. Archived from the original on 2021-11-01. https://web.archive.org/web/20211101120318/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-28778232. Retrieved 2023-08-31.
- ↑ "Nawal Msaad: 'I'm physically and mentally drained" (video). BBC News. 2014-08-13. https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-28779152. Retrieved 2023-08-31. "Nawal Msaad, 27, from north London, was stopped at Heathrow Airport as she prepared to board a flight to Istanbul, Turkey, on 16 January."
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "I was set up by friend over Syria cash, says student". BBC News. 2014-07-30. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-28567278. Retrieved 2023-08-31. "She also told the court she did not suspect the money was from the proceeds of drug dealing or from any other criminal activity. She said she had never suspected Mrs El-Wahabi was involved in terrorism."
- ↑ Sam Rkaina (2014-08-13). "Glamourous student caught with €20,000 in knickers at airport cleared of funding Syrian terrorists". The Mirror. Archived from the original on 2015-11-14. https://web.archive.org/web/20151114075755/https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/glamourous-student-caught-20000-knickers-4045378. Retrieved 2023-08-31. "Msaad turned up to hear the verdict today wearing hot pants, a tight black top and flip flops, while El-Wahabi attended the trial in a variety of colourful outfits."
- ↑ Danielle Sheridan (2014-11-14). "Student cleared of smuggling cash for jihad attacks police". The Times of London. Archived from the original on 2022-01-17. https://web.archive.org/web/20220117131713/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/student-cleared-of-smuggling-cash-for-jihad-attacks-police-djq5p93sd3r. Retrieved 2023-08-31. "A British university student who was cleared of trying to smuggle cash in her underwear to fund jihadists in Syria has accused the police of 'pursuing an agenda'."
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Duncan Graham (2014-11-13). "London woman duped into smuggling money for jihad in Syria forgives friend". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2023-03-20. https://web.archive.org/web/20230320045544/https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/nov/13/nawal-msaad-smuggling-money-syrian-conflict-forgiveness. Retrieved 2023-08-31. "Msaad, 27, a university student from Barnsbury, north London, has had her life turned upside down by the charges and points to the sexism in the media that led to her being labelled the 'jihottie' on Twitter and to prurient references to her smuggling the money in her knickers."
