An IT consultant from the UK decided to leave his job and travel to Syria via Turkey during the country’s civil war, with the intention of joining militant groups. Isa Giga, 32, informed his family that he was going to Birmingham but instead flew to Syria, expressing his desire to become a martyr in an email to his loved ones.
In 2015, Giga resigned from his job at a technology company and embarked on his journey to Syria, where he planned to engage in military activities against the Assad regime and ISIS. Despite his family’s efforts to contact him, Giga remained firm in his decision to stay in Syria, stating that he did not intend to return to the UK.
After completing military training, Giga expressed his willingness to fight on the front lines and seek martyrdom while acknowledging his fear of death. Despite his family’s pleas for him to return, Giga remained resolute in his decision to stay in Syria.
Giga was eventually sentenced to nine years in jail with an additional one-year license period for his involvement in preparing terrorist acts. Despite denying the charges and claiming to be in Syria for religious study, he will be monitored as a terrorist offender for the next 15 years.