Terror Trial Against IS Returnee Maria G.

The Salzburg public prosecutor's office has filed charges against IS returnee Maria G. She is accused of the crimes of a terrorist organization and a criminal organization after returning to Austria in March 2025. The Salzburg woman, who converted to Islam in December 2013, participated in the terrorist organization "Islamic State" (IS) by deciding to go to Syria, inspired by IS propaganda films.

Journey to Syria at the Age of 17

At the age of 17, Maria G. left her home in Salzburg and went to Syria in 2014, where she joined IS. She gave birth to two children, and her husband, an IS fighter, was killed in combat. In 2019, she was captured, and from September 2020, she was in the Roj internment camp in northern Syria with her sons. According to its own statements, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs offered to bring back the minor sons since 2019. The mother refused this. The Federal Administrative Court finally ordered the return of Maria G. and her two sons on October 10, 2024. On March 1, 2025, she was brought back to Austria with the children.

Husbands Consciously Encouraged in Combat Morale

According to the indictment, the Salzburg woman initially informed herself about the situation in Syria in various chat forums and met an IS fighter from Germany, whom she then married via Skype according to Muslim rites. On June 28, 2014, she traveled to Syria. There, the then 17-year-old lived in various areas controlled by IS. After divorcing her first husband, she also married a wounded IS fighter according to Muslim rites, and the two children are from this marriage. The family was financially supported and provided with food by IS.

"The Salzburg public prosecutor accuses the woman of consciously strengthening her husbands' fighting morale, as well as their affiliation and loyalty to IS, through her presence. Additionally, she is said to have knowingly promoted the terrorist acts of IS with the aim of establishing a radical Islamic theocracy," the statement reads.

Juvenile Court Responsible

The accused has no prior criminal record. According to the public prosecutor, she is largely confessing but denies having known about IS's classification as a terrorist organization at the time of her departure. Due to the sentencing range of one to ten years imprisonment, the case will be heard before a jury court. Since the woman was between 17 and 22 years old during the alleged offenses, she must answer before a juvenile court at the Salzburg Regional Court. A trial date has not yet been set.

Another IS Returnee Already Convicted

Along with Maria G., former Vienna IS supporter Evelyn T. was also brought back to Austria. While Maria G. remained at liberty, Evelyn T. was taken into pre-trial detention at that time. The criminal proceedings against Evelyn T. have since been conclusively resolved. The 26-year-old was sentenced in Vienna to two years of probation for terrorist association and criminal organization and was subsequently released. Since the public prosecutor accepted the verdict, "she is now adjusting to her new life," her lawyer Anna Mair said at the time to APA. Evelyn T. has numerous appointments, including with the probation assistance association Neustart. She must also comply with the court-imposed orders to undergo psychotherapy and a deradicalization program.

(APA/Red)

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