Galway Bay fm newsroom - It's been revealed that two students studying medicine at NUI Galway died fighting for Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.
According to the Sunday Times, the two trainee doctors travelled together on the same bus from Galway to Dublin in September 2013 on the way to join the Jihadist group.
Mustapha al-Hayani, a graduate of NUI Galway's medical programme, and Tariq Mohainuteen, a visiting Malaysian student, are believed to have become radicalised while in Galway.
According to the Sunday Times, both were members of NUI Galway's Muslim Youth Society and held positions in the group.
Members of the society say they were unaware of their colleagues radical beliefs, with many not finding out about their deaths until years later.
It's also reported that some students did raise concerns about their whereabouts, but were allegedly met with a 'wall of silence' at NUI Galway.
Hayani and Mohainuteen travelled together on the same bus from Galway to Dublin Airport in September 2013.
Mohainuteen travelled to Turkey, before crossing into Syria - and was killed weeks later in clashes between Islamic State and rival group Al-Nusra.
According to family and other students, he displayed no signs of radicalisation before travelling to Ireland and was a 'meek' individual.
Meanwhile, Hayani flew directly to Iraq where he was also killed in fighting, though the date and location of his death is unknown.
Former medical students recalled seeing a video in which he was standing over dead bodies in what appeared to be Iraq.
The Sunday Times reports that former member of the Defence Forces Lisa Smith - who converted to Islam and joined Islamic State - said she knew of a member in the group in the Syrian city of Raqqa who was from Galway.
The man, reported to have held a senior position, is believed to have been influential in the radicalisation of the two younger NUI Galway students.
