Former Israeli Arab Accused of Recruiting for Islamic State in U.S.

Waheba Issa Dais, an Arab who is a former resident of Israel, has been arrested by American authorities for recruiting people for Islamic State. The 45-year-old mother of two had been living in Wisconsin, and is in federal custody, accused of “providing material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization,” according to the complaint against her.

According to officials, Dais used various social media accounts – some of them hacked – to recruit people for Islamic State activities. She also shared information on how to carry out terror attacks online – how to prepare suicide bomb belts, how to use ricin and other poisonous materials, and other actions. In one social media post, she instructed readers on how to poison water reservoirs.

According to the criminal complaint against her, authorities were alerted to her activities by Facebook, which told the FBI that there was a “Wisconsin-based user posting detailed instructions on how to make explosive vest bombs in support of ISIS.” In addition, said the social media giant, the perpetrator, “also appeared to be engaged in detailed question-and-answer sessions discussing substances used to make bombs.”

Dais immigrated to the United States in 1992, and became a citizen as a result of her marriage to an American citizen. A housewife and mother of two, Dais divorced from her husband in 2003, and was arrested in her home in Cudahy, Wisconsin Wednesday. If convicted, she could face 20 years in prison.