British authorities arrest Shilan Ozcelik, woman who wanted to fight Islamic State group

British authorities arrested an 18-year-old woman on Friday for trying join forces battling the Islamic State group in the Middle East.

Shilan Ozcelik, 18, who is of Kurdish descent, was arrested after she returned from Brussels in an attempt to join resistance groups fighting the Sunni radical terror group. She is believed to be the first U.K. citizen arrested for trying to fight against Islamic State, the Guardian reported.

Ms. Ozcelik had been trying to join a group known as the YPJ, an all-female Kurdish paramilitary unit fighting terrorists in Iraq and Syria. She faces one count of engaging in conduct in preparation for committing an act of terrorism, despite the fact that neither the UK nor the US has designated the YPJ a terrorist group.

The Guardian reported that the charges could be over the PKK or Kurdistan Workers party, which was labeled a terrorist organization after a nearly 20-year violent clash with the Turkish government.