COURT DOC: Sussex County Woman Charged with Concealing Terrorist Financing to Syrian Al-Nusra Front, a Foreign Terrorist Organization

A Sussex County, New Jersey, woman, was arrested at her home today in connection with concealing sending money to a Syrian foreign terrorist organization.

Maria Bell, a/k/a ‘Maria Sue Bell,’ 53, of Hopatcong, New Jersey, is charged by complaint with one count of knowingly concealing the provision of material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization.

From February of 2017, Bell used encrypted applications to communicate with and provide advice to fighters based in Syria who were members of the al-Nusra Front (ANF), also known by other aliases, including Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), fighting the Assad regime…In communications with HTS fighters, Bell cited her professional experience including her specialized weapons training while on active duty in the U.S. Army and Army National Guard to provide guidance concerning operational security issues, firearms purchases, and military knowledge. She had thousands of encrypted communications with User 1 about operational planning and provided details with regard to concealing payments sent to User 1. (Source: U.S. Department of Justice)