To lead. Journey in 10 episodes starts august 14th on d w. Ah hm. This is irish camp in northeastern syria since the fall of the so called Islamic State era and Kurdish Forces have in turned over 800 women here captured former i. S. Members. Among them are 200. 00 french citizens and their children. They live in precarious conditions, waiting to be sentenced and possibly returned to france. We were able to interview one of the women here 33 year old seda comes from lunel, near the southern french city of montpelier. Since she came to the camp, she no longer wears any cap faced veil. Her story is similar to that of many women who once swore allegiance to ins. Only demetrius in may 2015. I was in contact with people through facebook. Griswold, i asked about syria and the Islamic State, because i had a lot of problems and i wanted to disappear for a while. I mean, i decided to come to syria. It happened in the space of a week very quickly. And also i didnt think about it. What about if i stayed 2 or 3 days in the center for women . And then i got married. Did julio, put him to my site . I tells us that after 2 years and syria, she managed to escape the so called his la mc state. She was quickly arrested by kurdish authorities and spent 6 months in prison before being taken to the camp. Last year, after a long struggle with the authorities, she was able to send her 2 children to france. Mister hooker, that and of course i regret coming here home. Ive hurt my family because i dont feel radicalized or anything. Its been a big punishment to spend 2 years with i. Yes and 3 years in the camp has been hard to live in college. I just want to go back to my normal life to see my children again. Well hm. Im not like many handle. Id like to return to a new normal life school and you know, mm hm. Can cita and those like her be trusted or do they pose a danger to society . Its difficult to say for its part the french government considers these women enemies of the state and doesnt want to let them return. For hundreds of french and other western jihadists, men and women. There is little hope of leaving kurdish prisons anytime soon. Not all former i as members have been arrested far from it. Where are the others hiding in the middle east or in European Countries like france and germany . A handful of men have made it their mission to find these fugitives. In october 2014, the so called Islamic State, i for short, reached the peak of its power. It controlled vast areas of syria and iraq. For 4 years, the terrorist organisation committed numerous crimes like mass murders and other heinous acts of violence. The self proclaimed caliphate was soon beaten back by air strikes carried out by nations including the us, britain and france. It effectively collapsed after us forces killed its leader. Bubble backer albert daddy, died like a dog. He died like a coward. The world is now a much safer place. Mm mm. The caliphate may have been destroyed, but its supporters are still at large. To hum is as syrian journalist, he fled from i s and 2014. For the past 2 years, hes been in contact with a secret network of private individuals who have made it their mission to track down former i s Members Around the world and make them pay for their crimes. Much like the nazi hunter is after world war 2, these investigators mostly operate under ground. I as fighters fleeing syria often passed through greek refugee camps before going into hiding. When can i get to germany or france . As ammonia said, to have money under the little yanine let loose during the war, a lot of syrians applied for asylum and europe, many ins fighters took advantage of that over number to day. They pretend to be completely different people. There are lots of fake panels. Got to kind of put a gun. Yeah. How many members of the terrorist group has managed to get into europe . Are they still a threat . The i as hunters risk their lives tracking these people down across several European Countries. This is southern turkey. Were on route e. 90, also known as jihad road from 2012 onward, thousands of europeans travelled this route to join i. S and syria and iraq. Mom, 33 year old ahmad ramada heads an organization that tracks down. I asked criminals la la, im on my way to go deal with several cases for one in particular. Or theres a criminal believe to be in germany right now. He was, you know, he was a leading figure in the Islamic State organizational where hub supposedly bethany ahmad regularly publishes the results of his investigations online. His networks website lists dozens of wanted people, as well as calls for witnesses, the brew publishes suspects identities, age place of birth, and function within the i s. Terrorist organization. Behind these mountains are about 30 investigators, journalists, and activists. Many are volunteers. Theyve all suffered at the hands of the so called Islamic State lottery. The other i say, ill go to the board is not far from here. 20 or 30 kilometers away. Its handy because our guys can enter syrian territory, for example, to find out who has left the country. But in terms of security, its a dangerous area for them. They regularly receive threats. Im the only one in the network, uses my own name to travel and shows my face so obviously hard. After a 12 hour drive from e stumble. We arrived in san lora for a border town with 800000 inhabitants. Its a hub for traffic to and from syria. Ahmad is meeting an informant here in a secret location. We have to disguise the mans identity. I off model, are you . Well, yes, yes, and you love stone and come in. Once inside, we can start filming, having our cameras out on the street would have endangered the 2 men the informant wanted. Uh huh. To come here in person to hear some very Sensitive Information to share it online or over the phone would have been too dangerous pleasure. Well, a lot of trouble, so about the guy in germany will show oldham to we got this video where he appears we started inquiring about the victim. The more general, see the victims hat was caught on one foot in a, in a, in the video that the informant acquired a young this la mic state recruit, holds the head of a syrian army soldier. He has apparently just a capitated the man brutal images like these are the hallmark of the islam ec state. I the i, as hunters got their hands on the video through a relative of the perpetrator, who is from deresa in northeastern syria. Ahmad, at his informant are also from that city. Its thanks to their connections there, that theyre able to obtain so much information on the shuttle all along. We know this guy went to germany and we believe hes a sort of sleep ali whos waiting to be reactivated. We have a photo of him. So one of our informants has promised to find his residence permit those. Now they have this video evidence. The investigators will track down the ice fighter, the man is living undetected in germany, much like around 500 other i s militants, who according to our mod, currently reside in europe. One months later, we meet ahmad again, this time in istanbul like thousands of syrians, he sought refuge here 3 years ago. I lo, how are you . Oh, good. And here before he began hunting down, i asked criminals, he suffered the repression of leshar all assads regime on a bee. Sol found large hello with here. Im talking to the demonstrators. Oh, well, just not at the beginning of the arab spring. We demonstrated for freedom. Every friday, after the revolution began in syria, we were thrown into prison. After my release, i had to leave damascus in secret and go to de s o. In the northeast of the country, i stayed there until the ice came. A few months later, my father was murdered by the jihadists and i fled the city. After losing his father off mud also lost his brother, who was likewise killed by Islamic State fighters. Since then, aff mike has searched for their killers day and night above all on social networks and the dark web, which is a gold mine for information. Oh, oh, its a battle being fought on many fronts of mat himself took great risks for months, filming ice activities and interviewing victims. The members of his group continue to investigate for him. They try to collect as much incriminating evidence as possible, such as photos, videos, and other documents. Other he is a member of the i s police. He also takes witness statements. Oh, joy, a. Once hes made sure the evidence has reliable, might publish as it on his website thats often led to dramatic captures, like the case against you. So ill maroon an important i as figure. I dont when we are members of the Islamic State, we are the muslims, the jihadists who believe in only one god in the world will get to know us. The syrian appeared regularly in Islamic State propaganda videos. Thanks. The i s. Hunters who documented his many crimes, he was arrested by special forces in turkey in 2020. The arrest was reported by local media not has thousands of horrifying images and disturbing threats saved as evidence on heads, hard drives to allow whats it like watching these videos . And i shouldnt have clear live. I mean, im almost used to it. Weve seen so many things. Weve carried the bodies of our relatives and friends. This is a war mascot and i cant deny that it gets to me. My wife goes on, has my share . Sure. Are you doing this work to avenge the deaths of your father and brother a whole and all the, its not about revenge. Its about justice. We might, is waiting for more detailed information about the younger hottest, who played with a severed head in the video. He saw, he hopes to track him down in germany. Hes also working on another case, which is much farther along. This man was an active i. S member. Will call this fighter muddied keith. I dont talk on my dads. We have lots of informing india as weve been observing him for months. He was in charge of procuring weapons and medicine which he collected at the Turkish Border just before the defeat of he fled to turkey and in to europe. Wheres no germany ammonia . Another case in germany, we leave is stumble with many questions still unanswered, but were determined to get to the bottom of these stories. In paris, we start piecing together the puzzle of muddied. Hes very active on social media and seems to live a good life in germany. The ice hunters put us in touch with one of the witnesses from their investigation. He agrees to talk to us as long as he can remain anonymous. And i come from the same region where maggie is from. Ive been living in germany for some time now and i know maggio personally while weve met more than once. Im ready to testify in a criminal court on the witness will give us key details on my ged background. Islamic state took control of the dairies all region on june 20th 2014, margie and his group had formed a battalion within the free syrian army. But they became supporters of the Islamic State. They supplied, i asked with ammunition heavy weapons, chemical fertilizers to make explosives and even surveillance, drones a to having heard this testimony, we had to the roar an industrial region in western germany. Hi, how are you . Fine, thanks. A Little League al and well be with you in 2 minutes. And i did on vicky, anybody they did. Were meeting with a syrian informant whos investigated, maggi the most for his protection will call him hello plight. Come in like all of the i, as hunters towel, rack has lost loved ones. His cousin was hanged and public by Islamic State fighters and many of his friends were shot dead as a refugee in germany. Hes been tracking muddied for 5 years. During the hall waterloo, watson wall, autumn bunker he arrived with his family and europe under the same conditions as us working on an inflatable boat law. The only difference is he had money to pay for all the travel expenses werent. Once he got out of syria, he set up a Money Transfer company to bring huge amounts of funds out of the caliphate territories. Also not assume high level. I asked, members recovered the money once theyd reached turkey or europe talking on political mazano along through our network. We obtained this photo of the Money Transfer offices. Hed sent up in the turkish city of l. A. Z or this is his office when when he arrived here, our Organization Published an article that was picked up by the bills newspaper victor. Good o money. The german tabloid reported maggi to rest and release in 2015 balise arrested a suspect and a refugee shantay. An owner on thursday afternoon, the syrian is said to have worked for Islamic States finance ministry. The 31 year old man was released from police cars today. Oh, forties could not prove he was a member of the terrorist organization. The man arrived about a week ago with his sister and her husband, who has had a leg amputated. This image from 2014 shows, a man said to be my jades brother in law, in an i s military uniform. And here a few months later, with his leg amputated as a result of a Coalition Air strike much each stands next to him with his finger raised a symbol of loyalty to ins. Magic now lives under the radar in germany. That fact may be shocking to many that are rec, isnt really surprised in walking along the germans say that hes not a danger to them. How he supposed to be helping them obtain information in their fight against. I asked him for his brothers are still in the organization. Last who do you think the authorities are protecting him . Oh oh yes. Ready its a serious accusation, but the i s hunters wont be deterred. Theyve continued to investigate, muddied, since his brave detention. Tar wreck has just obtain some important new information. A few months ago, the suspect opened a massage parlor while high up mud, how are you . Its a surprising lead and he wastes no time telling us not the head of the investigation. Network jackal shooting. Remember the person who told us maggie had come to germany a long you . Yes. Oh no. So i saw a job in the holland he just called and told is that my jeep has opened a massage parlor in germany. The old one. 0, how can an i is condra who fled to europe and only gets 3 or 400 years in social benefits per month . We started project like that. It was out here. Well have to find out. Oh boy. Oh boy. Oh hm. See, especially since my information shows, he also owns full or 6 cars without license plates. And that he has them parked in front of his house to sell them on the original. It would be good to use a hidden camera here. Let me know if youre able to film ishall this issue despite the risks in a few days. Tar rec will track down, muddied and film had with the hidden camera. So meanwhile, theres new information about the other case identified in germany. The investigators have sent us pictures of the young to hottest who they say the headed, his victims well call had samir pictures of him taken in both syria and germany were found on his facebook account in the so on the left, he just turned 17. Today. Hes 23. 00, hes grown, but it certainly seems to be the same person. Another crucial piece of information is his passport issued by German Authorities. In 2015, a member of the network of iron hunters got her hands on the document after seducing him online and winning his trust. She eventually asked him for a photo of his passport, so she could send him money. Ahmad team also collected for incriminating witness testimonies. One of the witnesses was prepared to talk to us. He was a childhood friend of samir. For sure beforehand joined the Islamic State in 2014 he was a kid who was always playing around on a motorcycle been with them when i asked took over the dare as all area in 2014. He pledged allegiance to them because then he underwent 6 months of training in iraq stuff a month after he got back from iraq in early 2015. His financial situation had changed dramatically. I could be good. He was driving in a nice new car all and didnt seem to want for anything. But just a couple weeks ago, looking to when he was fighting in the airport area, he used to cut off the heads of enemy soldiers hold their heads a lot and brag about it. Sometimes hed bring these heads into the city center and play soccer with them, but yeah, corner, these horrifying tendencies are said to have allowed him to rise quickly in the hierarchy. As one of the terrorist groups intelligence agents. He left the arizona for turkey at the end of 2015. From there he went secretly to europe in early 2016. But 6 months later he returned without any problems to syria, to darrows office. Um you sonia was indeed and syria and lay 2016. As this picture shows, there was unseasonal snow in derossis that winter. Even the local press covered it. The northern syrian province of death as or has experienced heavy snowfall and freezing conditions for the 1st time in 25 years. According to the witness, samuel left syria for good in 2017 and returned to germany. This information helped us to locate the suspect in botton thornburg, a german state ordering france, he lives in an outer suburb of a large city. Hes taking driving lessons in order to get his Truck Drivers license for safety reasons. We prefer to approach him on the street on his way home. Sure. Excuse me, can i ask you something . Oh yes. Oh and then im doing a report on this street. And it does, you have a minute or was it about, did you, its the university on co, how much has the current virus changed your life here . After gaining his trust, were able to talk with the alleged former i as fighter for quite a while level come, which part of syria you from langrish your own day is or where is that does need the border with iraq or yeah, the man is from dairies all the former economic hub of the Islamic State, which we learned was this boil everywhere there. Uh huh. But thats what im and the oil was under. I asked in troll, yet brought up a deal for is was everything was under i as control the growth was over to the size to i say you had to work for them by the of as a transport. Im available to be no, but i had to buy oil from them and dont rush this room from michigan, so i dont want sammy or doesnt admit to having worked for i s, but he does make a shocking admission when all the swan i was with the police back home and it was the police, your jobby . No, my hobby was well. Its a chilling hobby in light of the barbaric acts that a mads team accuse them of in this 1st meeting, we dont mention that the capitation video that we have like f