It is not the first time Saja al-Dulaimi has made headlines. The woman who Lebanese authorities and local media insisted was the first lady of the Islamic State (IS) was detained in late November, along with her daughter, at a checkpoint in Lebanon using a fake ID. A Lebanese security source told Al-Monitor that Dulaimi had been under scrutiny since earlier this year. “[Jabhat al-Nusra] insisted back in March on including her in the swap that ended the kidnapping of the Maaloula nuns. The negotiators said on their behalf that she was very important, and they were ready to cancel the whole deal for her sake.” He added, “It was later revealed by Abu Malik al-Talli, one of al-Nusra’s leaders, that she was Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s wife.”
It has come to be understood in Lebanon that Dulaimi's arrest is part of an effort by Lebanese authorities to secure a deal to free 27 Lebanese army soldiers captured by Jabhat al-Nusra and IS during battles in the town of Arsal, on the Syrian border.
