Michigan car worker's daughter who was converted to Islam by her Arab husband is shot dead while fighting for Syrian rebels
- Syrian state-run television reported three Westerners, including an American woman and a British citizen have been killed by government forces
- Relatives of Nicole Lynn Mansfield, 33, of Flint, Michigan said that the pictures being aired on Syrian television are her
- The three individuals were allegedly working with an al-Qaeda rebel affiliate in the war-torn nation
By JAMES NYE
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Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2333674/Michigan-woman-converted-Islam-Arab-husband-shot-dead-fighting-Syrian-rebels.html#ixzz2Ut2rOnZj
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A 33-year-old Michigan woman who converted to Islam after marrying an Arab immigrant has been shot dead in Syria by government forces who claimed she was part of an al-Qaeda influenced group.
Two FBI agents traveled to see family members of Nicole Lynn Mansfield today and confirmed to them their relative was dead after Syrian state television broadcast images of her passport on Wednesday.
The government controlled television station said that Mansfield was shot while driving in Idlib in the northwest of the country and aired her license in which she is seen to wear an Islamic headscarf and her address listed as Flint, Michigan.
Nicole Lynn Mansfield was shot dead by Syrian government forces along with two other Westerners - reportedly both British - The 33-year-old is from Flint, Michigan and converted to Islam several years ago following marriage to an Arab man
The news report speculated that Mansfield was a terrorist and said that she was shot alongside two people from the UK.
Family members in Michigan confirmed to the Detroit Free Press that the images seen on Syrian television are of Mansfield.
'I am sick over it,' said the deceased woman's aunt, Monica Mansfield Speelman. 'I didn’t think she was (a terrorist), but God only knows.'
Speelman confirmed that Mansfield met an Arab man several years ago and converted to Islam and began wearing a hijab and headscarf.
However, Speelman added that the couple divorced three years ago after he was able to get a green card to stay in the U.S.
Speelman claimed not to know the name of the Arab man, nor why her niece was in Syria - although she added that her niece's conversion 'bothered' her.
However, Mansfield was adamant that Islam was the right choice for her.
This close up picture shows a British passport (left) and the passport of Nicole Lynn Mansfield (right) - who both died in a gunfight with Syrian government forces
She told people 'that the best way of life was to be a Muslim. And that women should wear scarves...women should always cover their head,' Nicole’s grandmother, Carole Mansfield, 72, told the Free Press.
Nicole Lynn Mansfield reportedly grew up in Flint, Michigan. to Baptist parents and her father used to be a production worker for GM.
She attended Mott Community College and worked as a home health care worker for 10 years, according to her grandmother.
She dropped out of high school when she fell pregnant with her daughter, who is now 18-years-old.
'She had a heart of gold, but she was weak minded,' Mansfield said. 'I think she could have been brain washed.'
Records showed that Mansfield lived in an apartment complex at a different address from her home on Longway Boulevard, according to MLive. An eviction notice was posted on the door dated May 21, 2013.
She is reported to have paid $475 per month, for the three-bedroom apartment since October 8, 2012 but was believed to be secretly subletting it not long after.
Gunned Down: Syrian state television showed the vehicle the woman was traveling in with a British man that appeared to be riddled with bullets
Earlier the State Department said it was urgently investigating a report from Syrian television that an American citizen has been killed by government forces during the country's civil war.
An official for the U.S. State Department speaking on condition of anonymity informed the Reuters news agency that U.S. authorities were 'aware of the case' and were working with the Czech Republic mission in Syria to get more information.
The woman was reported to be traveling with two other unidentified Westerners, both British citizens, when forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad opened fire.
Syrian state television has claimed that the three deceased individuals were fighting with al-Qaeda affiliated rebels and were carrying weapons when they opened fire.
The three dead Westerners are all reported to be Muslim.
'As we do in all such cases, we are working through our Czech protecting power in Syria to obtain more information, and we appreciate the efforts of the Czech mission on behalf of our citizens,' the official said.
He added that U.S. authorities could not comment further 'because of privacy considerations.'
Syrian state television on Wednesday released what it said was the name of an American woman who was killed in Idlib province as well as the name of a man who it said was a British citizen killed in the country. The other man had no documents on him.
Harem town, Idlib, Syria - where the shooting is alleged to have taken place
Reports claimed the three people were ambushed by government forces in their car while traveling through the province of Idlib in northwestern Syria - which has been a flashpoint during the two-year-long civil war in the troubled nation.
The television footage showed a black car riddled with bullets and three bodies laid out also with multiple gunshot wounds.
The MailOnline has seen these images but is not publishing them.
This image from Syrian state television shows the alleged cache of weapons the three Westerner were carrying, their passports and a hand drawn map of a government installation (top right - folded)
Other images shown on Syrian state television include an alleged cache of weapons the three were carrying, a hand drawn map of a government military facility and a flag belonging to the al-Qaeda affliiated al-Nusra Front.
If the reports of the deceased woman turn out to be true, they will not be the first time that an American citizen has died fighting in Syria's civil war.
In March, Eric Harroun, 30, a former soldier from Phoenix was arrested by the FBI as he returned to the United States from Syria.
He was charged with using a rocket-propelled grenade during his time in Syria where he allegedly fought for al-Nusra Front.
An FBI affidavit seen by CNN alleges that Harroun crossed into Syria in January 2013 and fought against al-Assad's forces. He uploaded photos and videos of himself on the Internet handling RPGs and other weapons, according to the affidavit.
A Pinterest account belonging to a Nicole Mansfield from Flint, Michigan, is believed to belong to the 33-year-old.
She was active on the site until ten weeks ago. Of her 13 followers, several are people from Michigan who have converted to Islam.
Many of the pictures she has put up are of puppies, birds, food and places she would like to go. There is a folder called 'Islam' which are mainly stock images of mosques, people worshiping and the holy city of Mecca.
Another album called Hometown Love Never Die shows several pictures of Flint, including Vernor's ginger ale company, a 'Coney dog' - a Michigan variation of the chili dog - and in recognition of Michigan's doomed economy, one image shows a large stone that reads: 'God help save us Flint.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2333674/Michigan-woman-converted-Islam-Arab-husband-shot-dead-fighting-Syrian-rebels.html#ixzz2Ut2Wogj0
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