Three young Chechen women are being held in Russia after allegedly posing as wannabe jihadi brides to con Islamic State (IS) out of thousands of dollars, according to reports.
The Russian current affairs site Life News claims the three women contacted IS militants in Syria and Iraq through social networks. As each targeted terrorist began to fall for the ruse, the girl would send him photographs, it says.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
As soon as she received the funds, she deleted the social network profile and created a fresh one to target another jihadi, says Life News. The three women received more than $3,100 (£1,990) between them, before Chechen police apprehended them, reports Vice. They face a fine or up to six years in prison if convicted of fraud.
Maryam allegedly told Life News that she did consider actually traveling to Islamic State territory, but said accounts from friends who had made the journey suggested women were mistreated there.
Police say this is the first time they have encountered such a scam. "I don't recall any precedent like this one in Chechnya, probably because nobody digs deep enough in that direction," Valery Zolotaryov told the Moskovskii Komsomolets website. "Anyhow, I don't advise anyone to communicate with dangerous criminals, especially for grabbing quick money."
Ryan Mauro, national security analyst for the Clarion Project, told Fox News: "It could be argued that this shows that the Islamic State is confident in its ability to secretly transfer funds, but the more simple and realistic explanation is that Islamic State men are still men and our judgment can be undermined by attraction."
-
Cryptocurrency and the future of politicsIn The Spotlight From electoral campaigns to government investments, crypto is everywhere and looks like it’s here to stay
-
Ssh! UK libraries worth travelling forThe Week Recommends From architectural delights to a ‘literary oasis’, these are some of the best libraries around the country
-
A fentanyl vaccine may be on the horizonUnder the radar Taking a serious jab at the opioid epidemic
-
How Bulgaria’s government fell amid mass protestsThe Explainer The country’s prime minister resigned as part of the fallout
-
Normalising relations with the Taliban in AfghanistanThe Explainer The regime is coming in from the diplomatic cold, as countries lose hope of armed opposition and seek cooperation on counterterrorism, counter-narcotics and deportation of immigrants
-
Femicide: Italy’s newest crimeThe Explainer Landmark law to criminalise murder of a woman as an ‘act of hatred’ or ‘subjugation’ but critics say Italy is still deeply patriarchal
-
Brazil’s Bolsonaro behind bars after appeals run outSpeed Read He will serve 27 years in prison
-
Americans traveling abroad face renewed criticism in the Trump eraThe Explainer Some of Trump’s behavior has Americans being questioned
-
Nigeria confused by Trump invasion threatSpeed Read Trump has claimed the country is persecuting Christians
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
