Brooklyn Woman Sentenced to Face Up to a Decade in Prison After ISIS Conviction

A federal jury in New York convicted Halima Salman on Tuesday. The 27-year-old U.S. citizen was found guilty of receiving weapons training from the Islamic State group. She faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for February 2.

Salman was born in Brooklyn. Prosecutors stated that she joined the group willingly and pledged her loyalty to them. They presented evidence that included a video of her holding an assault rifle. The jury also saw a photo of her standing with the group's flag and affectionate text messages she sent to her husband. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Shami told jurors that the evidence showed Salman received military training from a violent and brutal terrorist organization.

The defense argued that Salman was a teenager caught in a civil war. They claimed her father took her to Syria in 2017 under the guise of a family visit to relatives in Turkey. Salman testified that masked gunmen surrounded their van upon entering the country. She said she spent three months in Islamic State housing before reuniting with her family. Her father died in 2018 after being injured in an airstrike.

Salman said she was forced to marry a German-Afghan fighter known as Abu Ali at age 18. She described the marriage as difficult and stated she repeatedly sought a divorce. On the stand, she said, "You try to leave, it is death." She admitted to carrying the rifle because her husband asked her to. He recorded the video used by prosecutors. She also conceded to sending him a religious song about Osama bin Laden.

U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. said the verdict holds Salman accountable for joining forces with a terrorist organization. He noted that the group ravaged Syria and caused havoc globally. His office plans to continue prosecuting those who supported the group. John A. Eisenberg, the Assistant Attorney General for National Security, stated there is no excuse for receiving military training from such an organization.

Salman was detained by forces opposing the Islamic State in Baghouz, Syria, in 2019. She returned to New York in 2024, where federal authorities arrested her. Jurors began deliberations on Thursday. They signaled on Monday that they were struggling to reach a unanimous decision. Salman, her mother, and her defense attorneys wept after the verdict was read.

Defense lawyers are asking the judge to set aside the verdict and acquit her. Such requests are common but rarely granted. The Islamic State group seized parts of Iraq and Syria in 2014. It was defeated in Iraq in 2017 and in Syria in 2019. Kurdish forces currently hold about 2,200 foreign relatives of suspected fighters in a camp in northeastern Syria. The Program on Extremism has identified 83 American adults affiliated with jihadist groups since 2011.