The wife of an ISIS fighter has mysteriously died in her cell after Canada refused to repatriate her.

The 40-year-old Quebec woman, known only by her initials FJ, escaped Al-Roj camp in Syria, where she was imprisoned for six years, in March. Three months later, she was arrested in Turkey and charged with membership of an armed terrorist group.

Although she was acquitted on 15 October, she was found dead in her cell at the Tarsus Closed Women’s Prison in Tarsus, southeast Turkey on 17 October. She was the last Canadian woman to be held in a Syrian camp for captured ISIS members.

Her attorney, Lawrence Greenspon, expressed suspicion about the circumstances of her death and has called for an autopsy to be performed.

“It just doesn’t make sense that after being acquitted on the 15th, within 48 hours, she was found dead,” he told CTV News.

The wife of an ISIS fighter, known by the initials FJ, has mysteriously died after Canada refused to repatriate her. Her six children (pictured) were allowed to return without their mother.

FJ, escaped the Al-Roj camp in Syria (pictured), where she was held for six years, in March. Three months later, she was arrested in Turkey and charged with membership of an armed terrorist group.

While the Canadian government refused to repatriate her, they allowed her four sons and two daughters to return. Three of her children were born in Syria, while another was born in the prison camp.

“It makes you wonder what kind of inhumane policy or basis was put forward to, on the one hand, bring the children back and, on the other hand, say ‘no’ to their mother,” Greenspon said.

Internal documents obtained by Global news suggested that FJ was considered a national security risk. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), unable to charge her or impose restrictions upon her return to Canada, left authorities without a clear record.

The memo, titled National Security Threat, read: “In the absence of a fee package or peace bond, FJ would have freedom of movement upon return to Canada.”

Greenspon, allegedly unaware of the memo earlier, claimed it revealed a deliberate refusal to help FJ

He argued that the government’s reasoning was a “circular argument,” as they denied her help because they lacked evidence to justify legal action.

“It’s not that they don’t have the ability to control her behavior; it’s that they don’t have the evidence,” Greenspon said. “That tells you something about their judgment.”

In addition, the memo revealed that up to 11 Canadian men are still being held by Kurdish forces in northeastern Syria. Four of these people have been publicly identified.

FJ was the last Canadian woman to be held in a Syrian camp for captured ISIS members

Ten Canadian children remain in detention while the government evaluates their repatriation. Their mothers are not considered for repatriation because they are not citizens of Canada.

At the height of the conflict in Syria and Iraq, several Canadian citizens traveled to the region to join terrorist groups. Many were killed in combat, while others were captured and imprisoned by Kurdish forces following the defeat of ISIS in 2019. The exact number of Canadians who joined ISIS remains unknown.

Of the nine women initially detained, FJ was the last to remain in Syria, while the others have since been repatriated to Canada.