MOSCOW, October 29 (RAPSI) - Varvara Karaulova, a student of the Moscow State University, pleaded guilty to to charges she attempted to travel overseas to join the Islamic State militants in Syria, her lawyer Alexander Karabanov told RAPSI on Thursday.

On Wednesday, Moscow’s Lefortovsky District Court ordered the detention of Karaulova until December 23.  The ruling will be appealed within three days, Karabanov said.

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.