(Bergen Record) A Sussex County woman allegedly sent money and lent advice to members of a terrorist group fighting in Syria to overthrow the regime of President Bashar Assad, federal authorities announced Wednesday.
Maria Bell, 53, a former U.S. Army soldier from Hopatcong, allegedly used encrypted apps to send thousands of messages to unnamed fighters in Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, a Syrian terrorist organization that split from al-Qaida four years ago, according to a statement from U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito.
Bell shared with the fighters her accumulated military knowledge and also sent 18 payments worth a total of $3,150 to people in Turkey and Syria allied with the group, Carpenito said.
