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IS Leader's Widow Charged Over Aid Worker Death

IS Leader's Widow Charged Over Aid Worker Death

A 25-year-old woman has been charged with conspiracy over the death of an American aid worker killed while being held hostage by Islamic State militants in Syria.

Nisreen Assad Ibrahim Bahar, an Iraqi citizen and wife of senior Islamic State leader Abu Sayyaf until his death last year, is accused along with her husband of holding Kayla Mueller and other women captive.

Abu Sayyaf was killed in a US commando raid of his Syrian compound last May, and Bahar was turned over to Iraqi authorities for prosecution.

Unnamed US intelligence officials told Mueller's family their daughter was forced to have sex with Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, the leader of Islamic State, though the allegations have not been confirmed.

Ms Mueller was originally from a small town in Arizona and from a young age had a single-minded determination to help others.

The 26-year-old was taken prisoner in Aleppo in 2013 after leaving a Spanish Doctors Without Borders hospital.

The US government and Ms Mueller’s family had kept her name secret until IS claimed she had been killed, fearing any publicity would put her in more danger.

She was thought to be Islamic State’s last remaining American hostage and according to a CBS report IS had demanded a $6.6m (£4.3m) ransom to set her free.

IS claimed she had been killed in a Jordanian air strike, but a Pentagon spokesman said last year that officials were certain that was not true.

US Justice Department officials said they support Bahar's prosecution and will continue to "pursue justice for Kayla".