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.

“There is a need to break the deadlock,” said an official Lebanese security source. “This is not to say that the arrest of Dulaimi was a goal in and of itself, but this adds to the cards that could be used. She’s important to them, and our soldiers are much more important to us.”

Asked whether she is Baghdadi's wife, the source replied, “There’s no document that proves she’s his wife. It’s what [Jabhat al-Nusra] said. While Daesh [IS] didn’t comment officially on the allegations, some say she was his wife when he used to live in Syria, back in 2006. Speculation. Nothing more.”