German runaway girl who converted to Islam is found in Iraq – ABC News
A German girl who ran away from home after converting to Islam has been found as Iraqi forces liberated the northern city of Mosul from Islamic State extremists, German and Iraqi officials said Saturday. She is reported to be in good health and will be interrogated next week by Iraqi officials.
The 16-year-old teenager, only identified as Linda W. in line with German privacy laws, is getting consular assistance from the German Embassy in Iraq, prosecutor Lorenz Haase said from the eastern German city of Dresden.
Three Iraqi intelligence and investigative sources confirmed to The Associated Press that the German teenager, who was apprehended in the basement of a home in Mosul's Old City earlier this month, was Linda W.
The girl is in good health, the Iraqi officials said, adding that on the day of her arrest she was "too stunned" to speak but now she is doing better. They said she had been working with the IS police department.
Linda W. could theoretically face the death sentence, according to Iraqi's counter-terrorism law. However, even if she is sentenced to death in Iraq, she would not be executed before the age of 22.
Photos of a disheveled young woman in the presence of Iraqi soldiers went viral online last week, but there were contradicting reports about the girl's identity.
The German teenager had married a Muslim Arab she met online after arriving in the group's territory, the Iraqi officials added, speaking on condition of anonymity because the information was not public. They said Linda W. was one of 26 foreigners arrested in Mosul since the retreat of the extremists there.
So far, the young German has not made any statement. The officials said she is currently being held together with other foreign women at a prison near Baghdad's airport. Starting next week, she'll be investigated by the Iraqis, who will bring in German interpreters for the interrogation since she does not speak much Arabic.
Haase, the German prosecutor, told the AP that the girl ran away from her family home in Pulsnitz in eastern Germany last summer. It's not clear yet whether she will return to Germany, he said.
"We, as the public prosecutor's office Dresden, have not applied for an arrest warrant and will therefore not be able to request extradition," Haase said. "There is the possibility that Linda might be put on trial in Iraq. She might be expelled for being a foreigner or, because she is a minor reported missing in Germany, she could be handed over to Germany."
The 26 foreigners found in Mosul included two men, eight children and 16 women, the Iraqi officials said. Some of those arrested were from Chechnya, and the women were from Russia, Iran, Syria, France, Belgium and Germany.
In addition to Linda W., the Iraqis found three other women from Germany, with roots in Morocco, Algeria and Chechnya. The Iraqi officials said the German-Moroccan woman has a child and both were arrested in Mosul about ten days ago.
They said the women allegedly worked with IS in the police department. Their husbands were IS fighters but their fates were not clear.
French and German Embassy personnel have already visited the arrested women, they said. The children will be handed over to the countries they belong to, while the women will be tried on terrorism charges in Iraq, according to the officials.
More than 930 people, among them several girls and young women, have left Germany to join IS in Syria and Iraq in recent years, the German news agency dpa reported.
While some have been killed in battle and suicide bombings and others have returned to Germany, there's also a large number that are unaccounted for, German security officials say. Many of them were radicalized via social media.
Local newspapers reported last year that Linda W. was in touch with IS members online before she ran away from home. She started wearing long gowns before she disappeared from her family's home last summer. Her mother later found a copy of the girl's plane ticket to Turkey under a bed, German media reported.
The mayor of Pulsnitz, Barbara Kueke, told dpa on Saturday that she was relieved the girl had been found. She described the teenager's family as very reclusive.
Lueke said the school had been aware of the girl's conversion to Islam and the principal had talked to the parents about it, adding that "it was very surprising, though, that the girl has been radicalized in such a way."
In a different case, a French woman captured earlier this month in Mosul with her four children is facing possible prosecution in Iraq for allegedly collaborating with IS.
The woman, believed to be in her 30s, was arrested July 9 along with her two sons and two daughters in a basement in Mosul's Old City, according to Iraqi intelligence officials.
Two Iraqi intelligence officials told the AP on Wednesday that the woman is being investigated in Baghdad and could face terrorism charges for illegally entering Iraq and joining IS, and that the French government wants the children handed over to France.
Abdul-Zahra reported from Baghdad, Iraq.
Go here to see the original:
German runaway girl who converted to Islam is found in Iraq - ABC News
- Iraq's World Cup qualification 'one of the toughest jobs in the world' - Arnold - espn.com - March 30th, 2026 [March 30th, 2026]
- Alive or not? Mojtaba Khamenei resurfaces with message to Iraq after Trump claim - India Today - March 30th, 2026 [March 30th, 2026]
- Iraq one step from first World Cup in 40 years after overcoming travel problems - MSN - March 30th, 2026 [March 30th, 2026]
- Latest message purportedly from Irans new supreme leader thanks Iraq for war support - The Times of Israel - March 30th, 2026 [March 30th, 2026]
- Khamenei Commends Iraq for Standing with Iran in War Against US, Israel - Caspian Post - March 30th, 2026 [March 30th, 2026]
- Rene Meulensteen: Qualifying for a World Cup is an opportunity to change the perception of Iraq - The Athletic - The New York Times - March 30th, 2026 [March 30th, 2026]
- Bolivias youthful reinvention takes them to brink of World Cup, but Iraq have cause to believe - The Athletic - The New York Times - March 30th, 2026 [March 30th, 2026]
- U.S. Policy in Iraq Deepens Its Crises Rather than Resolving Them - Middle East Forum - March 30th, 2026 [March 30th, 2026]
- The Long Shadow of the Iran-Iraq War - newlinesmag.com - March 30th, 2026 [March 30th, 2026]
- Iranians at the border crossing into Iraq urge the US to end the war - The Lufkin Daily News - March 30th, 2026 [March 30th, 2026]
- U.S. Tells Citizens to Leave Iraq After Second Attack on Embassy - The New York Times - March 30th, 2026 [March 30th, 2026]
- Sister recounts relentless fight to free sibling held captive in Iraq for 903 days - CBS News - March 30th, 2026 [March 30th, 2026]
- AP reports: Iranians at border crossing into Iraq urge US to end the war - Yahoo - March 30th, 2026 [March 30th, 2026]
- Mojtaba Khamenei Breaks Silence After Trump Question His Absence; Thanks Iraq For Supporting In War - The Times of India - March 30th, 2026 [March 30th, 2026]
- Three Ohio airmen killed in crash over Iraq to be returned to Columbus - WLWT - March 30th, 2026 [March 30th, 2026]
- Irans IRGC threatens to strike American universities in Iraq - Iraqi News - March 30th, 2026 [March 30th, 2026]
- Excavations at Alexander the Great's rediscovered city in Iraq postponed due to war - The Art Newspaper - March 30th, 2026 [March 30th, 2026]
- Exiled Iranian Kurds in Iraq say they will return only if Iran's theocracy falls - PBS - March 22nd, 2026 [March 22nd, 2026]
- Nato relocates personnel from Iraq mission to Europe amid conflict in Middle East as it happened - The Guardian - March 22nd, 2026 [March 22nd, 2026]
- Kurds in northern Iraq celebrate the new year festival of Nowruz, in photos - AP News - March 22nd, 2026 [March 22nd, 2026]
- Irans proxy militias in Iraq blast open a new front in war against US - The Jerusalem Post - March 22nd, 2026 [March 22nd, 2026]
- From the archives: Airmen at Bashur Airfield, Iraq - Stars and Stripes - March 22nd, 2026 [March 22nd, 2026]
- A Look Back at the U.S.-led Invasion of Iraq, 23 Years On - PBS - March 22nd, 2026 [March 22nd, 2026]
- NATO says it is 'adjusting' mission in Iraq after report of withdrawal of personnel - Reuters - March 22nd, 2026 [March 22nd, 2026]
- Iraq declares force majeure on foreign-operated oil fields over Hormuz disruption, sources say - Middle East Eye - March 22nd, 2026 [March 22nd, 2026]
- Fire reported after attack near US military base in northern Iraq - Anadolu Ajans - March 22nd, 2026 [March 22nd, 2026]
- Iraq's Kataib Hezbollah says it will temporarily suspend attacks on US embassy with conditions - Reuters - March 22nd, 2026 [March 22nd, 2026]
- Father of 3 deployed less than week among 6 airmen killed in plane crash in Iraq - NBC 6 South Florida - March 22nd, 2026 [March 22nd, 2026]
- Iraq Unable to Control Armed Militias, Kurdish Official Warns, Citing Hundreds of Attacks - Kurdistan24 - March 22nd, 2026 [March 22nd, 2026]
- Dollar steady in Iraq as Eid holiday halts trading - - March 22nd, 2026 [March 22nd, 2026]
- Iraq says investigations ongoing over attacks on diplomatic missions - thenewregion.com - March 22nd, 2026 [March 22nd, 2026]
- Trumps Iran War Already Costs More Than Bushs Iraq Opening - Newsweek - March 22nd, 2026 [March 22nd, 2026]
- Pentagon targets Iran-linked militias in Iraq as Hegseth vows 'we will finish this' for fallen US troops - Fox News - March 22nd, 2026 [March 22nd, 2026]
- Exiled Iranian Kurds in Iraq say they will return only if Irans theocracy falls - Los Angeles Times - March 22nd, 2026 [March 22nd, 2026]
- From the archives: Day 1 of the Iraq War - CBS News - March 22nd, 2026 [March 22nd, 2026]
- Post-Saddam Iraq at 23: The War It Never Wanted Is Back - Modern Diplomacy - March 22nd, 2026 [March 22nd, 2026]
- Kurds in northern Iraq celebrate the new year festival of Nowruz, in photos - Union-Bulletin - March 22nd, 2026 [March 22nd, 2026]
- On World Water Day 2026, know about the Mandaeans of Iraq and Iran and their aqua-centric faith - Down To Earth - March 22nd, 2026 [March 22nd, 2026]
- Iranian Kurdish fighters find themselves in the middle of U.S.-Iran war as they wait in Iraq - CBC - March 22nd, 2026 [March 22nd, 2026]
- Iranian Kurds long for home as they mark Nowruz in Iraq - AL-Monitor - March 22nd, 2026 [March 22nd, 2026]
- The 200 Spanish soldiers who remained in Iraq have been successfully evacuated - thediplomatinspain.com - March 22nd, 2026 [March 22nd, 2026]
- Exiled Iranian Kurds in Iraq say they will return only if Irans theocracy falls - AP News - March 22nd, 2026 [March 22nd, 2026]
- Same Lies, New War: Trump and the Iraq Playbook - Reason Magazine - March 22nd, 2026 [March 22nd, 2026]
- Pilot Honors Three Ohio Air National Guardsmen Killed in Refueling Tanker Crash in Iraq - The Weekly Times - March 22nd, 2026 [March 22nd, 2026]
- French jihadist sentenced to life in jail over IS group genocide of Iraq's Yazidis - France 24 - March 22nd, 2026 [March 22nd, 2026]
- Iraq Was the Warm-Up: Iran Is the Trap - RealClearDefense - March 22nd, 2026 [March 22nd, 2026]
- U.S. Embassy in Baghdad Targeted as Iraq Gets Drawn Deeper Into Regional War - The New York Times - March 9th, 2026 [March 9th, 2026]
- Beware the similarities between the wars in Iraq and Trumps Iran war - The Seattle Times - March 9th, 2026 [March 9th, 2026]
- From Iraq to Iran: How Congress Handed Over War Powers to the Presidency - Military.com - March 9th, 2026 [March 9th, 2026]
- The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad was targeted in a rocket attack over the weekend as Iraq found itself being drawn deeper into the war engulfing... - March 9th, 2026 [March 9th, 2026]
- Iraq coach Graham Arnold urges FIFA to delay his team's World Cup playoff because of the Iran war - NBC 6 South Florida - March 9th, 2026 [March 9th, 2026]
- Action on Another Front: Strikes on Pro-Tehran Militias in Iraq - Foundation for Defense of Democracies - March 9th, 2026 [March 9th, 2026]
- Oil and gas production shutdowns in Iraq and Kuwait widen the Iran war's impact on energy prices - Fortune - March 9th, 2026 [March 9th, 2026]
- Opinion | Trumps Iran War and the Shadow of Iraq - The New York Times - March 9th, 2026 [March 9th, 2026]
- Iraq coach Graham Arnold urges FIFA to delay his team's World Cup playoff because of the Iran war - Temple Daily Telegram - March 9th, 2026 [March 9th, 2026]
- Iraqi Foreign Minister Warns Iraq Will Not Allow Its Territory to Become Battleground for International Conflicts - Kurdistan24 - March 9th, 2026 [March 9th, 2026]
- Iraq and Bahrain reaffirm strategic solidarity amid regional aggression - Iraqi News - March 9th, 2026 [March 9th, 2026]
- Drone strikes spread across the Gulf and Iraq as regional tensions escalate - ynetnews - March 9th, 2026 [March 9th, 2026]
- Iraq manager urges Fifa to delay his teams World Cup play-off due to Iran-US war - The Independent - March 9th, 2026 [March 9th, 2026]
- US base in Baghdad targeted by drone as tensions escalate in Iraq - Iraqi News - March 9th, 2026 [March 9th, 2026]
- United Nations in Iraq Clarifies None of Its Offices Were Involved or Affected by Recent Sulaimani Security Incidents - Kurdistan24 - March 9th, 2026 [March 9th, 2026]
- Iraq begs FIFA for help as Iran war threatens to ruin country's first World Cup visit in 40 years - MSN - March 9th, 2026 [March 9th, 2026]
- Iraq coach Graham Arnold urges FIFA to delay his team's World Cup playoff because of the Iran war - The Derrick - March 9th, 2026 [March 9th, 2026]
- Heavy explosions reported in Erbil in northern Iraq near airport amid regional tensions - Anadolu Ajans - March 9th, 2026 [March 9th, 2026]
- Iraq coach Graham Arnold urges FIFA to delay his team's World Cup playoff because of the Iran war - Leader-Telegram - March 9th, 2026 [March 9th, 2026]
- Iraq coach Graham Arnold urges FIFA to delay his team's World Cup playoff because of the Iran war - The Independent - March 9th, 2026 [March 9th, 2026]
- Iran spent years fostering proxies in Iraq. Now, many arent eager to join the war - Reuters - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- Iran proxies wage war on Israel, threaten US interests as Iraq slammed for not disarming them - Fox News - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- Kurdish Iranian dissidents in Iraq deny attack plans but say they would join a US invasion of Iran - AP News - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- How the Iran war compares to the US's 2003 invasion of Iraq - DW.com - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- US issues warning over Iran-aligned militias in Iraq amid efforts to help stranded citizens - Reuters - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- Iran targets Kurdish groups in Iraq, begins wave of attacks on Israel - Al Jazeera - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- Trump, forever wars and Iraq syndrome | Byron York - Santa Maria Times - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- How lessons from Iraq are shaping Starmers Iran response - The Conversation - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- Crude tanker reports suspected hull breach after blast near Iraq port - Reuters - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- Iraq Says it is Directly Affected by the War: We are Under Attack from Both Sides - Asharq Al-awsat - English - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- After Iraq, Kuwait and UAE may be next to cut oil output on Iran crisis, analysts say - Reuters - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- They fought in Iraq. Now theyre the Democrats loudest voices against the war in Iran. - CNN - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- First Thing: airstrikes hit Iran-Iraq border as US and Israeli plans to mobilise Kurds gathers pace - The Guardian - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- Iran says it hit Kurdish forces in Iraq, as some groups plan to join fight against Tehran - The Times of Israel - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]