A Russian student has been sentenced to four and a half years in jail for attempting to enter Syria and join the so-called Islamic State.<br /><br /> Varvara Karaulova, 21, was found guilty by the military court in Moscow, which rejected her claims that she had no intention of joining the terrorist group.<br /><br /> “The court’s decision is Karaulova is guilty, she is sentenced to 4 years and 6 months in a penal colony,” Judge Alexander Ababkov announced.<br /><br /> She pleaded not guilty, saying she was motivated by love for a man fighting in Syria whom she had met online.<br /><br /> Her lawyers, who will appeal, argue they are trying to make her into an example to deter other girls from trying to enter Syria.<br />
