Irish Ex-Radical Claims There Are Up To 150 Extremists Living Here

An Irishwoman who converted to Islam and became radicalised in Britain has claimed that there are 150 extremists in Ireland.

The Irish Examiner reports that Aaliyah, 26, used to be called Marcella and converted to Islam at the age of 18, when she began to associate with the group of one of the London attackers, Khuram Butt and a hate preacher who has been jailed for gather support for IS.

Aaliyah claims that Butt also spent time in Ireland, and that extremists operated from a house in Santry as well as Limerick, Clare and Tipperary.

She said the extremists she knew would have several “cheap little phones”, and travel to Belfast to access Ireland.

Aaliyah, who is now deradicalised, stopped all contact with Islamic extremists in September 2016.

“There are definitely more than 150 [extremists living in Ireland], easily,” she said.

Ireland seen as easily accessible

“They used to laugh about Belfast, that you could fly from any airport in the United Kingdom to Belfast and they didn’t check any documents,” she said. “They just easily let them in.”

“They own properties in some places. I know a lot of them came here to apply for visas and stuff like that.”

“There are a lot of them living in Limerick City because the rent was a lot cheaper and in other Clare kind of areas, and in Tipperary,” she said.