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Teenage German Girl Who Joined ISIS Is Under Investigation, Prosecutors Say

A German teenager being held in an Iraqi jail after running off to join Islamic State is being investigated on suspicion of membership in a foreign terrorist organization, German prosecutors said on Monday.
Image: Pulsnitz, Hometown Of IS Member Linda W.
People walk among historic buildings along a main shopping street on July 24, 2017 in Pulsnitz, Germany. Linda W., a German teenager from Pulsnitz, was captured by Iraqi troops last week during the siege of Mosul. Linda, who had converted to Islam and wore a headscarf while still living in Pulsnitz, is believed to have traveled to Iraq and married an Islamic State fighter. She was captured along with other foreign women while hiding in a tunnel in Mosul. She is currently held and being treated for injuries in Baghdad. Pulsnitz, a town with population of approximately 7,500, is in eastern Germany near Dresden.Sean Gallup / Getty Images
/ Source: Reuters

BERLIN — A German teenager being held in an Iraqi jail after running off to join ISIS is being investigated on suspicion of membership in a foreign terrorist organization, German prosecutors said on Monday.

Federal prosecutors are investigating the case of 16-year-old Linda Wenzel alongside those of three other women in Iraqi detention, of whom at least one had German citizenship, they said.

If they bring charges, prosecutors can seek the extradition of Wenzel, who has said she will cooperate with German authorities.

Related: Questions Surround Foreign Teen Found After ISIS Defeat in Mosul

Foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Adebahr said consular officials had confirmed the citizenship of the first two women during a meeting last Thursday and were due to meet the two others on Monday.

Wenzel, who was detained by Iraqi security forces last week when they recaptured Mosul, told German media over the weekend that she regretted joining the jihadist group and wanted to come home to her family.

Image: Pulsnitz, Hometown Of IS Member Linda W.
People walk among historic buildings along a main shopping street on July 24, 2017 in Pulsnitz, Germany.Sean Gallup / Getty Images

She fled her home in the city of Pulsnitz last year shortly after converting to Islam. Prosecutors lost track of her after she left Istanbul on her way to the war zone.

German media said Wenzel, who has been seen by German consular officials, had a gunshot wound on her left thigh and an injury on her right knee that she said was caused during a helicopter attack.