Suspected Irish ISIS member Lisa Smith will not face prison on her return to Ireland, well-placed sources have said.

The 38-year-old former Air Corps steward, who joined ISIS in 2015, will be repatriated - but is unlikely to serve a sentence here.

Lack of legislation and a strong burden of proof means it will be difficult to secure a conviction against Smith, despite Syrian documents allegedly listing her as training young girls in weapons near Raqqa.

Well-placed sources have expressed dismay that Smith, who is currently in a camp in Syria with her young daughter, will not be imprisoned here.

Suspected ISIS documents and Syrian eye-witnesses are easily challenged in Irish court, meaning Smith’s case is unlikely to go to trial here.

Smith, who was recently moved from the sprawling Al-Hawl camp in Northern Syria, spoke candidly in interviews stating she did not expect to face prison in Ireland.

Unlike Australia, Ireland failed to adopt the Declared Area law, preventing travel by Irish citizens to areas held by hostile terrorists organisations.

A spokesperson from the Department of Justice confirmed that securing a conviction will depend on the availability of reliable evidence, which will be be difficult to obtain from a warzone like Syria.

They added: “If any persons suspected of being active participants in terrorist activities in Syria do return here and there is evidence available that they have committed terrorist offences, then they will be investigated fully by the Garda authorities.

“Prosecutions in such cases will depend on the availability of reliable evidence.”

(Image: ITV)

Garda sources have confirmed gathering suitable evidence against Smith is unlikely due to the lack of witnesses and difficulty in verifying documents that allegedly connect her to ISIS hacker Junaid Hussain and “punk” recruiter Sally Jones.

Naturalized Irish citizen Alexandr Bekmirazev, currently in a prison for ISIS fighters in Syria, said he expected to be able to re-establish his business in Ireland after spending the past six years in Syria.

Born in Uzbekistan, Bekmirazev lived in Belarus, a country to which he could be deported if the Government decides to revoke his citizenship.

Show more

The Department of Foreign Affairs is currently working with partners in Syria to secure Smith’s release after she was moved from Al-Hawl to the same camp as ISIS member Shamima Begum.

Bekmirazev’s wife - an Irish resident - and her five-year-old son have also been moved to a smaller camp in Northern Syria.

Reports have indicated that Smith’s family have been approached by RTE for an interview on The Late Late show upon her return.