NYC Native Convicted of Training with ISIS Faces Up to Decade in Prison
Halima Salman, who became an ISIS bride at 18, is the first woman to stand trial in the U.S. on charges of joining the terror group.
A Brooklyn federal jury found Halima Salman, a New York City native who joined ISIS as a teenager, guilty of training with the terror group. Salman, now 27, faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison. The conviction marks the first time a woman has stood trial in the United States on charges of joining the Islamic State.
US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Joseph Nocella Jr., stated, "With today’s verdict, Salman is held accountable for joining forces with a terrorist organization." He added, "ISIS ravaged Syria and caused havoc across the globe; our Office will continue to prosecute those who supported its murderous reign."
Salman testified that her father forced her to marry an ISIS militant, Abu Ali, when she was 18. She alleged that her father, an ISIS supporter who died in a 2018 airstrike, had moved the family from New York to Turkey and then into ISIS-controlled territory in Syria in 2016. Salman stated she spent two years in ISIS territory before five years in a Kurdish-run war camp. She was arrested in 2024 at JFK Airport after being repatriated to the U.S. with nine family members.
Prosecutors argued that Salman willingly underwent weapons training with Nusaybah Katiba, an all-female ISIS battalion. Evidence presented to the jury included footage of Salman holding an AK-47 assault rifle, an ISIS document purportedly stating her qualification to carry a Kalashnikov, and selfies with the terror group's flag. Salman was residing in New Hampshire on $500,000 bond while awaiting trial.
Defense attorneys questioned the authenticity of the evidence, particularly a certificate found on her husband's phone, and argued the prosecution lacked sufficient proof of her training. Her lawyer, Mia Eisner-Grynberg, described Salman as a former Girl Scout with interests in sewing and crafts who had already endured significant hardship.
Salman's former husband is believed to be held in an Iraqi jail. She was convicted of knowingly receiving military training from a designated terrorist organization.