Nora El-Bahty
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Nora el-Bahty is a French Muslim woman who, at age 15, left her home in Avignon to join the Syrian civil war in 2014.[1][2] Three French people were convicted in her case.[3][4]
Nora el-Bahty | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1999 (age 26–27) France |
| Occupation | student |
| Known for | travel to Syria, Firqat al-Ghuraba member |
Nora el-Bahty is the third of six children, the daughter of Moroccan immigrants.[5] Her parents were practicing Muslims.[2] Prior to her disappearance, she had talked about helping the wounded people in Syria. She had also asked her parents for her passport, saying she had lost her identity card. However none of her family suspected she was planning to go to Syria.[2] Unbeknownst to her family, she began wearing a jilbab, hijab and gloves to school; she never dressed that way in front of her family.[6]
On January 23, 2014,[5] she did not return home after school. Instead she withdrew money from her savings account, changed her mobile phone, and traveled to Paris[2] to meet Zoé Bouah, a woman she had been in touch with online. Bouah's husband, Mouhammad Diallo, was already in Syria,[7] having traveled there in 2013 to join the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.[8] Bouah put Nora up in her home overnight, gave her food and a full face veil,[7] and promised to travel with her the next day.[2]
Bouah's sister-in law, Sonia Mareghni, was also at her home that night; she later said she was helping look after Bouah's children. Mareghni helped Nora search online for a plane ticket to Turkey, then lent Nora her credit card to pay for it, but the charge would not go through. The next day, Mareghni and Bouah accompanied Nora to a travel agency and Mareghni helped pay for Nora's ticket. The women accompanied Nora to Orly Airport.[7] Bouah decided not to join her on her trip after all.[2]
Nora flew to Istanbul, then took a second flight to the Syrian border. Her destination was Firqat al-Ghuraba, a brigade of foreign fighters run by Omar Diaby.[9]