German Teen ‘ISIS Bride’ Sentenced to 6 Years in Jail in Iraq

© Kazuhiro Nakamura / AFLO / Getty Images

An Iraqi court has sentenced German teenager Linda Wenzel, dubbed a “jihadi bride”, to six years in prison for her affiliation with Islamic State, German media has reported.

Wenzel was given a five-year sentence for being a member of IS and another year for crossing into Iraq illegally, the Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper reported on Sunday, citing judicial sources. Her hearing at the Palace of Justice in Baghdad was closed to the public due to her age, but representatives from the German embassy were present at the trial.

Originally from Pulsnitz, a town near Dresden in eastern Germany, Wenzel converted to Islam in 2016. After meeting extremists online at the age of 15, Wenzel ran away from home and made her way into Iraq through Turkey and Syria. There, she reportedly married a Chechen fighter, who was later killed.

After being captured in Mosul last year, Wenzel made headlines across the world when footage emerged that showed her terrified and in tears as she was dragged along by Iraqi troops. But the teenager was just one of many women from Europe and elsewhere who traveled to the Middle East to become jihadi brides.

Since her capture, Wenzel has expressed regret for her actions.

"I want to go home to my family," she told reporters. "I want to get out of the war, away from the weapons, the noise."

"I don't know how I came up with such a dumb idea. I've completely ruined my life."

House for Sale, Comes With Wife

In a story that brings to mind the joke about the old man who advertised in a paper, "Looking for wife with a boat. Send picture of boat!" comes this fascinating story from Indonesia. I can't decide if she is using herself to sell the house, or the house to find a husband.

Realty ad says terms and conditions apply, and notes the offer is “for serious buyers and non-negotiable”

AFPPublished: 14:14 March 11, 2015Gulf News

The single mother’s only want, now is to meet her soulmate,
according to an ad posted online. Image Credit: Wina Lia

Sleman, Indonesia: An advert for a house in Indonesia has gone viral online after the woman selling it offered to throw in an unusual extra feature for free — her hand in marriage.

The internet ad reads for the most part like a regular house listing, saying that the single-storey property has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a parking space and a fish pond.

But it also proposes to buyers a “rare offer” - “when you buy this house, you can ask the owner to marry you”, alongside a picture of Wina Lia, a 40-year-old widow and beauty salon owner, leaning against a car in front of the house.

The ad said that terms and conditions apply, and notes the offer is “for serious buyers and non-negotiable”. The house in Sleman, on the island of Java, is on the market for 999 million rupiah (about $76,000 USD).

News of the offer quickly spread among internet users in social media-crazy Indonesia.

Boldies99, a user on popular online forum Kaskus, said Lia was “quite smart — even though the house will be sold, she will remain the owner.”

Lia said she was “shocked at the reaction”, as she had been overwhelmed by journalists coming to interview her, and even the police in the conservative, Muslim-majority country had been asking questions.

The police “came to verify the news as they consider it as an improper advertisement. But I explained to them that it was not my idea,” she said.

The mother of two explained that she had asked a friend who was a property agent to help her find a buyer — and in the process a husband — but she had expected him to pass on the news to a limited number of people, not put an ad online.

“I told a friend of mine who also works as property agent that if there is a buyer who is a single man or a widower who wants to buy a house, and at the same time look for a wife, he can let me know as I’m also a widow,” she said.

She added that there was only one potential buyer, who had visited on Wednesday, but refused to give further details.

So delightful that she has the sense of humour to roll with it rather than bursting a gut. I expect she will get offers from all over the planet now.