US woman who fled Isis after being vocal proponent ‘could be useful to protect others’

The lawyer for Hoda Muthana, the US woman who fled Islamic State and now wants to return home, has called for her to be a voice of a deradicalisation programme that dissuades others from joining the terror group and counters online manipulation.

Hoda Muthana 'deeply regrets' joining Isis and wants to return home Read more

Hassan Shibly, an attorney who has represented Muthana’s family in the four years since she left her home in Alabama for Syria, says Muthana, 24, is prepared to face the US justice system.

“She wants to come back to the United States to be accountable for her mistakes and then be a powerful voice to make sure others don’t repeat those same mistakes,” Shibly said in response to an interview Muthana gave to the Guardian on Monday from a detention camp in Syria.

“Hoda Muthana was a vulnerable young woman who was taken advantage of by these terrorist criminal masterminds who ultimately brainwashed her and led her to make some horrible choices that she deeply regrets.”

Muthana is currently the only American among an estimated 1,500 foreign women and children inside the sprawling al-Hawl refugee camp of 39,000 people in northern Syria.

Muthana earlier described herself as “ignorant and arrogant” when she fled the US to join Isis, where she soon became one of the group’s most vocal proponents, urging attacks on US soil and vowing vengeance on behalf of the terror group.

It is six weeks since Muthana surrendered to Kurdish forces in the far east of Syria, near to where a weeks-long push to oust Isis fighters from their final parcel of territory continues. She says she was brainwashed and is now remorseful.

The US government has shown no interest in her case, nor in her 18-month-old son, whom she had with a now dead Tunisian fighter. Shibly, however, suggests she could be used to warn others not to follow her path.

“Having somebody like Hoda work through the legal system and with the United States government to publicly speak out against the kind of hatred and manipulation that groups like this engage in would be a very useful tool to help protect other vulnerable individuals from being taken advantage of.

“When she left, we held training at her local mosque to emphasise just how dangerous, misguided and wrong groups like [Isis] are. The family is relieved that at last she has recognised the error of her ways. That happened quite some time ago, but it’s been very dangerous for her to escape.”

Donald Trump has not commented on Muthana’s situation. On Saturday, he said in a pair of tweets that “Britain, France, Germany and other European allies” should “take back over 800 Isis fighters that we captured in Syria and put them on trial”.

On Monday, a public holiday in the US, the White House did not comment.

Most spokespeople for senior officials contacted by the Guardian could not immediately be reached, including representatives for the Alabama senators Richard Shelby and Doug Jones.

Spokespeople for the Alabama US representatives Martha Roby, Robert Aderholt, Mo Brooks and Gary Palmer also could not immediately be reached. Terri Sewell was traveling and could not immediately be reached for comment, her communications director said.

A spokesman for Bradley Byrne said in a statement the congressman “believes it is important that the respective federal agencies throughly vet and investigate this individual and any others in a similar scenario”.

The FBI said in an email it had no comment. Asked about Huthana, the state department said: “The protection of US citizens abroad is our highest priority. We stand ready to provide all appropriate consular services to US citizens who need assistance abroad.”

