French ISIS Recruit on Trial in Iraq Claims He Was Deceived Online and Pleads for Mercy

A French man on trial in an Iraqi court admitted on Monday to joining ISIS, claiming he was lured via social media under the false pretense of helping Muslims in Syria during its grueling civil war, and pleaded for mercy.

Mehdi Ismail Mohammed, 33, is among 11 French citizens of Algerian and Tunisian origin who appeared before a judge in Baghdad. They are accused of joining ISIS during its rule over parts of Iraq and Syria from mid-2014 until its defeat in Iraq in 2017 and Syria in 2019. These individuals are part of a group of 47 French fighters handed over to Iraq last year by the Syrian Democratic Forces militia.

The ongoing trials in Baghdad highlight Europe's unresolved dilemma regarding its citizens who joined ISIS. With no international tribunal available and European nations hesitant to repatriate them, Iraq has effectively become the courtroom for these extremists.

During his second appearance before the court, speaking in a frail voice, Mohammed explained that as a student in France in 2013, he was deeply troubled by the war in Syria. After connecting with a man identified as Abu Mohammed Al Faransi on social media, he traveled to Algeria for six months before flying to Turkey in late 2013 and crossing into Syria with the assistance of smugglers.

“He convinced me to come to Syria and to join the revolution to support them because they are Muslims,” Mohammed told the judge. “It was never my intention to join the Islamic State. I was convinced that we as Muslims should help the Syrians.”

Mohammed claimed he initially lived with his recruiter for three months while knowing he belonged to ISIS. Although he initially refused combat roles, he eventually agreed to perform civilian duties, which included giving religious instruction to civilians and children, leading prayers in a mosque in Manbij, and working as an accountant distributing salaries and aid.

In 2016, as the US-led coalition advanced, he relocated to Raqqa, serving in the Diwan Al Zakat to collect Islamic taxes from farmers and herders. By 2018, as the caliphate crumbled, Mohammed stated that life became untenable. He paid a smuggler and attempted to flee to Turkey with his two wives and four children to surrender to the French or Algerian embassy, but was ultimately arrested by the Syrian Democratic Forces.

Throughout his time in ISIS, he used the aliases Abu Jawad Al Faransi and Abu Musab Al Fransi. “The work I did was civilian... and when I discovered the group's violations and its heinous acts … I deeply regret it,” he told the court.

Mohammed's court-appointed lawyer, Abbas Al Kinani, requested an acquittal or leniency, emphasizing his client's confession, online deception, and lack of proven crimes on Iraqi soil. Judge Mohammed Salman scheduled the verdict for October 27, while the trials for the remaining 10 defendants were adjourned to later in the month.