Posted on 12/01/2005 10:16:02 AM PST by prairiebreeze
MONCEAU-SUR-SAMBRE, Belgium - Authorities have identified a woman who carried out a suicide attack against a U.S. patrol in Iraq as a 38-year-old Belgian who had two marriages to radical Muslim men.
Muriel Degauque, who grew up near the industrial city of Charleroi, entered Iraq from Syria last month and detonated explosives strapped to her body in a failed attack against U.S. troops.
Her mother, Liliane Degauque, told Belgian TV networks that her daughter was "so nice" — but began to change when she married an Algerian man and turned to Islamic fundamentalism.
The case underscored the growing reach of international terrorism.
"It is the first time that we see that a Western woman, a Belgian, marrying a radical Muslim, and is converted up to the point of becoming a jihad fighter," federal police director Glenn Audenaert said.
In her younger years, Degauque lived a conventional life in southern Belgium. Media reports said she finished high school before taking on several jobs, including selling bread in a bakery. They also said she had run into problems with drugs and alcohol as an adolescent.
After marrying her second husband — a Moroccan man — authorities said Degauque became a member of a terror cell that embraced al-Qaida's ideology.
"This is our Belgian kamikaze killed in Iraq," read the headline of Thursday's La Derniere Heure newspaper, over a picture of the smiling young woman.
When Liliane Degauque saw police coming to her doorstep Wednesday, she immediately knew what it was about. She had heard reports the evening before there had been a terrorist attack on Nov. 9 by a Belgian woman.
Muriel's second husband was believed to have died in Iraq at some point before her death.
"For three weeks already I tried to contact her by telephone but I got the answering machine," she told the RTBF network on Thursday.
Authorities Thursday formally charged five of 14 suspects detained with involvement in a terrorist network that sent volunteers like Degauque to Iraq. A 15th suspect was picked up in France.
Those placed under arrest in Belgium were a Tunisian and four Belgians, three of whom had North African roots. The other nine were released.
"This action shows how international terrorism tries to set up networks in western European nations, recruit for terror attacks in conflict areas and look for funds to finance terrorism," said Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt.
Islamic radical groups linked to al-Qaida terror network are suspected of setting up networks in Belgium and other European nations with large Muslim communities. There are currently 13 Belgian and Moroccan nationals on trial for allegedly being members of an Islamic group suspected in recent bomb attacks in Spain and Morocco.
"This is our Belgian kamikaze killed in Iraq," read the headline of Thursday's La Derniere Heure newspaper, over a picture of the smiling young woman.
Sounds like the Belgian/Euro press is approving of this woman. And she wasn't "killed", she committed suicide trying to kill others you eurotwits!
Self demolecularization is such an ugly word.
now she's a belgian waffle.
LOL!
Remarkable.
This is just further proof that, thanks to the war in Iraq, we are fighting TERRORISTS there and not here!!!!
I don't understand why this point isn't emphasized more. I hope they all flock there so our brave fighting men and women can help arrange their meeting with allah.
Do homicidal women bombers get 72 virgin men??
So she was married twice, once to an Algerian and once to a Moroccan? Strange for an ROP follower....... Poor little girl grew up with an empty head and some jihadi came along and filled it with hate.
Have never heard the answer to this question from the leaders of the jihad. Maybe they just get a kitchen with all the latest appliances?
Bears repeating. I suspect a large dollop of Self-Hate along with hatred of others was also resent in the mix.
Maybe she gets to perpetually be a virgin and service all of the martyrs? Sounds a bit more like hell than paradise.
Not "Notre kamikaze belge" but "la kamikaze belge" - "the Belgian kamikaze". "tuee" - "killed" is passive, which is odd.
Shows that the terrorists are stupid, in addition to being filled with hate. This Belgian woman would have been far more valuable to them carrying out an operation in Europe (which she could have done easily, with a European passport and being able to fit into the population completely). Duh.
This is part of the appeal of Islam in Europe. In a continent where Christianity has atrophied to the point of being almost a joke, Islam presents itself as "having meaning in a decadent world gone mad." (This also explains why American converts to radical Islam, like John Walker Lindh, tend to be from blue states and areas).
It's only the beginning of this kind of thing, sadly.
May she eternally rot in hell.
Female shaheeds get to choose which 72 members of their family get a free pass to paradise.
72 Muslim men. ugh...
SHHHHHHH!!!! Don't tell them! It will take them years to figure that one out.
...and 72 eyebrows
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