Halima Salman convicted of receiving ISIS military training in Syria, faces 10 years in prison
A federal jury convicted Halima Salman of knowingly receiving military-style training from ISIS in Syria, in what was believed to be the first US federal trial of a woman accused of joining the group. The verdict holds the 27-year-old US citizen accountable for her involvement, while her defence argued she was taken to Syria as a teenager and later faced pressure from her father and husband.
Prosecutors said Salman married an ISIS fighter at 18, pledged loyalty to the organisation and received permission to carry an assault rifle; a training certificate was later found on her husband’s phone. She was detained in Syria in 2019 and arrested after returning to New York in 2024. She faces up to 10 years in prison and is due to be sentenced on 2 February; her lawyers have asked the judge to overturn the verdict.
In short
- Halima Salman was convicted of receiving ISIS military-style training in Syria.
- She faces up to 10 years in prison.
- Her defence has asked the judge to set aside the verdict.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The prosecution’s case is that knowingly receiving military training from ISIS was a serious act of participation in a violent organisation, and that the jury had evidence of her pledge, permission to carry a rifle and a training certificate. On this view, her age and family circumstances do not remove the need to hold her accountable if the evidence established that she chose to take part.
The case against
The defence argues that Salman was taken to Syria as a teenager and later lived under pressure from her father and husband, circumstances that could have sharply limited her freedom to choose. Given the severity of the conviction and possible sentence, her lawyers can reasonably argue that the evidence should be scrutinised closely and that the jury’s verdict should be reconsidered if it did not adequately account for coercion and her age.
Explained simply
ISIS is an armed extremist group that controlled territory in Syria and Iraq during the 2010s. It recruited fighters and supporters from abroad, and governments have prosecuted people who travelled to join or assist it.
The United States has laws against receiving military training from a designated foreign terrorist organisation. Halima Salman is a US citizen whose case examined whether her time with ISIS involved such training, and how her age and circumstances at the time affected her responsibility.
The case drew attention because it was believed to be the first US federal trial of a woman accused of joining ISIS. Its outcome may also be relevant to how courts consider cases involving people who travelled to conflict zones as teenagers.
Culture Fashion Middle East World