American Woman Convicted of Receiving Military Training From ISIS in Syria: Brooklyn Jury Finds Halima Salman, 27, Guilty
The U.S. Department of Justice announced on October 27 that a federal jury in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, convicted Halima Salman, 27, a U.S. citizen and former resident of Brooklyn, of receiving military-type training from the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization, in Syria. Salman, also known as "Umm Khattab al-Muhajir," was convicted after a two-week trial before U.S. District Judge Natasha C. Merle.
As proven at trial, in September and October 2016, Salman's parents traveled with her and her eight siblings out of the United States, ultimately destined for ISIS-controlled territory in Syria. In late 2016 or early 2017, Salman, then 18, was married to an ISIS fighter in Syria, where she voluntarily sought military-type training and received authorization to carry ammunition and an assault rifle from ISIS. A document certifying that she successfully completed the training was found on her husband's cellphone after it was recovered from the battlefield; the device also held photos of Salman with an ISIS flag in the background and a video showing her brandishing an AK-47 rifle.
"The atrocities committed by ISIS, including mass executions, sexual slavery, and the systematic terrorizing of civilian populations, represent some of the gravest crimes of our time," said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. "There is simply no excuse for aligning with or receiving military training from an organization responsible for such suffering." U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. for the Eastern District of New York said the verdict holds Salman accountable for joining forces with a terrorist organization. Jarod Brown, Assistant Director of the FBI's Counterterrorism Division, said it has been nearly a decade since Salman sought military training from ISIS in Syria and "today justice has been served."
The case was investigated by the FBI New York Field Office and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam Amir and Amanda Shami for the Eastern District of New York. The Justice Department announcement did not state a sentencing date or the statutory maximum penalty.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于 Brooklyn 的 Theodore Roosevelt 联邦法院，纽约东区联邦法院所在地（资料图）。ajay_suresh 摄，Wikimedia Commons，CC BY 4.0。Photo: The Theodore Roosevelt United States Courthouse in Brooklyn, home of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York (file photo). By ajay_suresh, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.
