Halima Salman ISIS training was the focus of a federal jury verdict in Brooklyn on Tuesday, with jurors finding the 27-year-old U.S. citizen guilty of receiving military-type training from the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham in Syria. Salman, a former Brooklyn resident also known as “Umm Khattab al-Muhajir,” was convicted after a two-week trial before U.S. District Judge Natasha C. Merle.
According to Justice Department officials, the case centered on Salman’s conduct while in ISIS-controlled territory. Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg said the verdict underscores that aligning with a designated foreign terrorist organization will be prosecuted. U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. for the Eastern District of New York said the conviction holds Salman accountable for joining forces with ISIS and reaffirmed his office’s commitment to similar prosecutions.
Halima Salman ISIS training detailed at trial
Evidence presented at trial showed that in September and October 2016, Salman traveled with her parents and eight siblings from the United States to Syria, where ISIS then held territory. By late 2016 or early 2017, when she was 18, Salman had married an ISIS fighter and, according to trial evidence, voluntarily sought and received military-type training.
Prosecutors said ISIS authorized her to carry ammunition and an assault rifle, and she received a document certifying completion of the training.
Investigators recovered the certification from her husband’s cellphone after it was found on the battlefield, according to court evidence. The device also contained photographs of Salman with an ISIS flag in the background and a video showing her holding an AK-47 rifle.
FBI officials said the verdict followed a yearslong investigation. Assistant Director Jarod Brown of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division said the bureau will continue to identify and disrupt supporters of foreign terrorist organizations. James C. Barnacle, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI New York Field Office, said Salman knowingly sought terrorist training and learned to use weapons, calling the outcome a victory in the broader effort to protect the United States.
Investigation and prosecution
The FBI New York Field Office led the investigation, and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs assisted with obtaining overseas evidence. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam Amir and Amanda Shami for the Eastern District of New York, with assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Reich, Paralegal Specialist Emily Woodruff, and Trial Attorney Patrick Cashman of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
The case unfolded against a broader backdrop of national security enforcement and oversight, as seen in other matters such as the Government contractor arrested in alleged defense leak.