Family wants no contact with woman facing terrorism charge

(AP) The family of a Kansas woman charged with joining the Islamic State group and leading an all-female battalion says they want nothing to do with her, a prosecutor said Monday.

Allison Ekren, 42, made an initial appearance on Monday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Alexandria. The hearing lasted only minutes; she was ordered to remain in jail pending a detention hearing set for Thursday afternoon, and an attorney was appointed to represent her.

At the end of the hearing, though, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Raj Parekh told the judge that he had been in contact with Ekren’s parents and her adult children, and all had said they wanted no contact with her.

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