Samantha Lewthwaite: Soccer Mom to “White Widow” Terrorist

Uncover the astonishing true story of Samantha Lewthwaite! An ordinary soccer mom who turned into one of the most wanted terrorists in the world known as the “White Widow”. In this must-read article, you will learn about the mysterious details of her transformation and see her deadly legacy that she left behind.

Who is Samantha Lewthwaite?

Samantha Lewthwaite was also known as “White Widow”. She was an average soccer mom who later became one of the most wanted terrorists in the world. She was British and was married to one of the 7/7 London bombers named Germaine Lindsay. She is still at large to this day and is on the run from authorities.

Let’s learn about the transformation process of this soccer mom into an infamous terrorist.

Samantha Lewthwaite – The White Widow:

Samantha Lewthwaite was a typical British soccer mom and a mother of 4 children. Behind this superficially average façade, she had a dark secret hidden from the rest of the world. She was greatly involved in terrorism. She was known as the “White Widow”, and is said to have had major involvement in many high-profile terrorist attacks. Included in these attacks was the 2013 Westgate Mall massacre in Nairobi, Kenya. So, let’s take a deeper dive into the journey of this soccer mom turned terrorist.

Chronological Life Events of the White Widow:

1983 – Samantha Lewthwaite is born in Banbridge, Northern Ireland.

Early 2000s – She converts to Islam and goes to school at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London. This is where she met Germaine Lindsay.

2002 – She marries Germaine Lindsay in Aylesbury, England. She changes her name legally to Sherafiyah.

2005 – She gives birth to her first child, a boy.

October 9th, 2005 – Sarah, her second child was born. Her daughter was born only a couple of months after her husband carried out the suicide bombing in London.

July 5th, 2005 – Germaine plans and carries out a suicide bombing on an underground train in London. This attack killed Germaine and 26 other people. She states that she had no knowledge of the plans for the attack and denounces the attack itself to the media.

Late 2000s – She starts to raise the attention of law enforcement and intelligence agencies around the world. They suspect her of having involvement in terrorist activities.

2009 – She gets stopped by the police in Kenya when she is traveling with her children. The police found a fraudulently obtained South African passport in her possession. Due to this, she was detained briefly and the released. She was only held for some hours and then let go without charges.

2010 – Her third child, a boy, is born named Abdullah.

2011 – Her fourth child, a girl, is born named Ruqayyah.

2011 – Samantha and her children disappear. It is believed that they fled to East Africa at this point in time. This is where, and when, she is suspected to start in her involvement with a Somalia-based militant group known as Al-Shabaab.

November 28th, 2011 – A bombing attempt that targeted many, Western tourist heavy, coastal city locations in Mombasa took place. It is thought that she has played a major role in this attack, and the authorities in Kenya issue a warrant for her arrest. The Kenyan authorities thwarted the attack before it could take place.

2012 – She is said to be involved in recruiting and training female suicide bombers in Somalia. She also is placed on Interpol’s most wanted list.

September 21st, 2013 – The Westgate shopping mall massacre happens as an attack was carried out in Nairobi, Kenya that killed 67 people. She was suspected of playing a role in this attack.

Late 2010s – Here location and actions are largely unknown. It is believed that she continued to be involved in terrorist attacks and plans in Syria and areas around the Middle East.

2021 – Reports say that she was killed in a drone strike in Syria in 2015. These reports have been unverified and it is still unknown as to her status and location for sure.

What was her background before she became involved in terrorism?

She was born in Northern Ireland on December 5th, 1983. At some point in her childhood, with her family, she moved to Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire in England. Her household was Christian while she was growing up, and she went to school at John Colet School in Wendover. Samantha was was known to be a good student and played sports as well. She was particularly good at soccer. Once she had finished her education, she went to work as a dentists assistant. She married one of the 7/7 London bombers, Germaine Lindsay, in 2002.

How did she become radicalized?

It is not exactly clear as to how she became radicalized, but after her husbands death in the London bombings she is reported to have converted to Islam. Not only this, but she started to wear a niqab and moved to East Africa. She is now said to have ties with extremist groups such as Al-Shabaab, which is a militant group in Somalia. Some say that her involvement in terrorism may have been influenced by her involvement with a man named Jermaine Grant. Grant was a British man that planned on bombing certain locations in Kenya.

What role did she play in various terrorist attacks?

It is not proven that she has had any direct roles in any terrorist attacks, but she is strongly suspected of playing a logistical role as well as financially supporting extremist groups. It is believed that she played a large role in the 2013 Westgate mall attack that killed 67 people in Nairobi, Kenya. She is also said to be a part of a plot to bomb several tourist spots in Mombasa, Kenya in 2015 that killed 4 people. In 2015 Garissa University College saw an attack that resulted in 148 deaths and more than 80 injured. She is thought to have had involvement in this attack as well. Most recently, in 2019, the DusitD2 hotel in Nairobi, Kenya was attacked. She is thought to have played a role in this attack as well, and the result of this was 21 people dead and more than a dozen injured.

It is important to understand that her involvement in these attacks is not completely clear.

What is her current status and whereabouts?

The current whereabouts of Samantha Lewthwaite are unknown, and a family member of hers, her uncle, is actually known to have said that he “Believes her to be dead”. She has been running from authorities for over a decade and it is widely believed that she is actively hiding. She is considered to be a high-value target by international law enforcement agencies, and there have been a great deal of resources and attempts to find her and capture her.

How did her actions impact the world at large?

It is possible that she has been involved in a total of more than 200 deaths from different terrorist attacks from over the years. It is safe to say that, if her involvement in these attacks are true, she has had a lasting and significant impact on the world. Not only have the terrorist attacks that she is said to have been involved in killed many people, but it has also caused widespread fear and instability in and around the areas subjected to the attacks. Her involvement has also provided a light shinning on radicalization on extremism of women in our civilizations.

What efforts have been made to bring her to justice?

Currently, there are several Law Enforcement Agencies searching for the White Widow. Among these agencies are British authorities, United States Government, Kenyan authorities, and Interpol. The Metropolitan Police Services Counter terrorism Command (SO15) has conducted raids on properties that have been connected to Samantha. Not only this, but they have worked closely with other international intelligence agencies in order to find and capture her.

The FBI has tracked her activities and coordinated with foreign partners in hopes to find her. They have also placed her on their FBI’s Most Wanted List. She has been designated as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist. This entails financial restrictions and limitations for traveling. It freezes her known assets and makes it harder for her to get away from authorities.

The National Police Service (NPS) and Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU) have been actively searching for her since her supposed involvement in the 2013 Westgate shopping mall massacre. They have conducted raids and arrested people that are suspected to have been associated with her. They have also worked closely with other authorities from around the world to better their chances at catching her.

Somalia, Tanzania, South Africa, and Australia also have authorities making advancements and attempts to locate and arrest the White Widow. There is still an international manhunt for Samantha and these efforts have still been unsuccessful.

There are a couple of incredibly speculative accounts of her possible death including a Russian sniper and a drone attack to name a couple. None have been confirmed in any way.

She is often known to wear a black Burqa, so it is incredibly difficult to tell if it is her even if someone is right next to her.

Are there any lessons that can be learned from her story?

There are many lessons that can be learned from the story of Samantha. The transformation of Samantha from a normal soccer mom into a radicalized terrorist highlights the dangers of extremism as well as the significance of early interference in order to stop these types of things from occurring. This story also highlights the importance of international cooperation and communication in the efforts and fight against terrorism. Combating these extremist ideologies and the threat of violence is imperative to the safety of many nations worldwide.

This has also shown agencies several new challenges of tracking individuals with little to no prior information on whereabouts. The addition of surveillance measures and monitoring has helped tremendously, but she has still been yet to be found.

Recap & Summary:

Samantha Lewthwaite was a normal everyday soccer mom of four children, when she turned abruptly into an infamous female terrorist. Her husband, Germaine Lindsay, was a Jamaican-born citizen that carried out a deadly suicide bombing in London. Both of them have been linked to terror groups and extremist Muslim groups spanning over many years. Now you know a great deal more about the White Widow.

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