UK woman who abducted kids to travel to Syria sentenced

London, Jan 8: A UK-born woman who tried to take her children to Syria where they could live under Islamic State control has been sentenced to prison in Britain.

The 34-year-old woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, earlier pleaded guilty to two counts of abducting children under 16 years of age. The woman and the children were stopped by Turkish authorities in Istanbul in October and returned home after the woman's husband and parents contacted police.

Judge Rodney Jameson said the woman was determined to take the children to Raqqa, Syria, an Islamic State stronghold and that she had betrayed her responsibilities to her children, who would almost certainly find it impossible to leave Raqqa once there.

Jameson sentenced the woman to five years and four months in prison today.

AP