MOSCOW, October 30 (RAPSI) – Defense of Varvara Karaulova, a student of the Moscow State University who is accused of attempting to travel overseas to join the Islamic State militants in Syria, appealed her detention on Friday, her lawyer Alexander Karabanov told RAPSI on Friday.

On Wednesday, Moscow’s Lefortovsky District Court ordered the detention of Karaulova until December 23.  On the same day she pleaded guilty to charges against her.

Karaulova faces 10 years in prison, but her sentence may be mitigated if she will cooperate with the investigation.

Karaulova, the second-year student of the Faculty of Philosophy of the Moscow State University, allegedly decided to join the Islamic State and secretly started off for Istanbul on May 27.

On June 4, she was arrested near Turkey's border with Syria along with 13 other Russian citizens when attempting to cross into the territory occupied by Islamic State militants.

On June 11, she returned to Russia under escort of Interpol employees.

If convicted, Karaulova faces up to ten years in prison.

The Islamic State is currently one of the major threats to global security. Over three years, these terrorists have managed to seize large areas of Iraq and Syria. The organization is also attempting to spread its influence to North Africa – particularly, Libya. The area controlled by ISIS covers up to 90,000 square kilometers.