American who was ISIS teen bride convicted of getting weapons training

A New York pistillate whose begetter took her to Syria arsenic a teen and arranged her matrimony to an Islamic State combatant was convicted Tuesday of receiving weapons grooming from the militant group.

Prosecutors said Halima Salman, a U.S. citizen, pledged loyalty to the extremist radical and willingly participated successful its activities. Jurors were shown a video of her holding an battle rifle, a photograph of her with the group's flag, and loving substance messages she sent her husband.

"With today's verdict, Salman is held accountable for joining forces with a violent organization," U.S. lawyer Joseph Nocella Jr. said successful a statement. "ISIS ravaged Syria and caused havoc crossed the globe; our Office volition proceed to prosecute those who supported its murderous reign."

The defence sought to represent Salman, present 27, arsenic a teen who was unwittingly trapped successful Syria's civilian war, archetypal by her begetter and aboriginal by an extremist hubby whose orders she had to follow.

"You effort to leave, it is death," Salman testified. She said she refused to beryllium "married off" astatine property 18 and repeatedly tried to get a divorce.

Salman's parent is an American, and her household traveled from the United States to Syria erstwhile she was young.

Salman, her parent and adjacent her defence attorneys wept aft proceeding the verdict. Still successful tears, Salman and her parent aboriginal hugged each different crossed the railing betwixt the assemblage and the courtroom well.

Jurors, who began deliberating Thursday, had repeatedly indicated Monday that they were struggling to scope a unanimous decision. The members declined to remark arsenic they near tribunal aft the verdict.

Salman's lawyers besides declined to comment. They are asking the justice to acceptable speech the verdict and acquit her, arsenic national instrumentality allows if a justice finds the grounds presented astatine a proceedings doesn't legally enactment a conviction. Such requests are often made but seldom granted.

Salman's condemnation carries the imaginable for up to 10 years successful prison. Sentencing presently is acceptable for Feb. 2.

The Islamic State group, which the U.S. authorities designates arsenic a panic group, seized ample parts of Iraq and Syria successful 2014 and declared the territory to beryllium a caliphate. Despite its decision successful Iraq successful 2017 and successful Syria 2 years later, the radical inactive has sleeper cells that transportation retired deadly attacks successful some countries.

"Dead bodies everywhere"

Born successful Brooklyn, Salman was 17 erstwhile her begetter took the household connected what she thought was a travel to sojourn relatives successful Turkey successful 2017. Instead, the van crossed into Syria, wherever masked gunmen surrounded them. Salman said she was frightened and confused, and had nary thought wherever her begetter was taking them.

"I bash blasted my begetter for a batch of things that happened," she testified.

She said she spent 3 months successful lodging tally by the Islamic State radical earlier reuniting with her family. They moved doubly due to the fact that their homes were deed by airstrikes.

While there, she joined German-Afghan IS combatant Abu Ali, according to tribunal documents.  

On the archetypal time of her marriage, Salman recalled, her hubby told her: "Get up, anserine wife, it's clip for you to beryllium a wife."

She spent overmuch of the matrimony doing home labour for her hubby and mother-in-law. Her begetter died aft being injured successful an airstrike successful 2018.

Prosecutors insisted Salman was dishonest and had much bureau successful Syria than she claimed. They got her to concede during cross-examination that she erstwhile sent a spiritual opus astir Osama bin Laden to her husband. Prosecutors besides disputed Salman's relationship of a mediocre marriage, citing 2 loving substance messages she sent to her husband.

"The grounds shows that the suspect received subject grooming from a violent, brutal, violent enactment - an enactment that is liable for attacks crossed the world," Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Shami told the assemblage successful a closing statement past week.

Salman's hubby took a video of her holding an battle rifle, which prosecutors said she had been trained to use. When she testified, Salman said she was lone complying with her husband's petition to transportation the rifle.

She recalled that her past twelvemonth of matrimony was peculiarly harrowing, arsenic changeless bombings sometimes forced them to unrecorded successful the streets, wherever she recalled seeing "dead bodies everywhere."

The mates yet fled with different refugees successful a truck, wherever she told her hubby they were going to separate, and Salman testified that she ne'er saw him again.

She was detained successful Baghouz, Syria, successful 2019 by forces opposed to the Islamic State group. She was arrested by U.S. authorities erstwhile she returned to New York successful 2024.

Kurdish forces inactive clasp astir 2,200 overseas relatives of suspected Islamic State fighters successful a northeastern Syria camp, an authoritative determination told AFP earlier this month.

The Program connected Extremism has identified 83 American adults who traveled to Syria oregon Iraq since 2011 and were affiliated with jihadist groups there.

"The atrocities committed by ISIS, including wide executions, intersexual slavery, and the systematic terrorizing of civilian populations, correspond immoderate of the gravest crimes of our time," Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg said successful a statement Tuesday. "There is simply nary excuse for aligning with oregon receiving subject grooming from an enactment liable for specified suffering. Today's verdict sends a wide connection that those who enactment this decease cult volition beryllium recovered and prosecuted."

Agence France-Presse contributed to this report.

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