Brooklyn woman Halima Salman convicted of receiving ISIS military training in Syria, faces up to 10 years in prison

A federal jury in Brooklyn, New York, on Tuesday convicted Halima Salman of knowingly receiving military-style training from ISIS while living in Syria.

Halima Salman, 27, is a U.S. citizen and a former Brooklyn resident, also known as "Umm Khattab al-Muhajir." The conviction exposes her to up to 10 years in prison, and she is scheduled to be sentenced on February 2.

The case was believed to mark the first time a woman accused of joining ISIS stood trial in a U.S. federal court, which is why the trial was closely watched from the start.

According to federal prosecutors, in 2016 Salman's parents traveled with her and her eight siblings out of the United States, ultimately taking the family to ISIS-controlled territory in Syria.

The Justice Department said Salman was 18 years old when she married an ISIS fighter and voluntarily sought military-style training from the terrorist organization. Prosecutors said she pledged loyalty to ISIS and willingly participated in its activities.

Officials said she received authorization from ISIS to carry an assault rifle and was given a document certifying that she had completed the training, and that the document was later recovered from her husband's cellphone.

During the trial, jurors were shown video of Salman holding an assault rifle, a photo of her with an ISIS flag, and supportive text messages she sent to her husband.

After the verdict, U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. for the Eastern District of New York said in a statement: "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."

Following the reading of the verdict at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, Salman broke down crying and was consoled by members of her defense team. Her mother, who arrived after word came that the jury had reached a verdict, also broke down and was seen crying on her knees in the gallery. Multiple members of the defense team were also visibly emotional, including her lead attorney, Mia Eisner-Grynberg.

Tuesday's verdict came after jurors previously indicated that they were struggling to reach a unanimous verdict and were sent back twice to continue deliberations.

Salman's defense team portrayed her as a teenager who was drawn into Syria's civil war through her father and later her husband. Salman, who was born in Brooklyn, testified that she believed the family was traveling to visit relatives in Turkey when her father instead took them across the border into Syria. "I do blame my father for a lot of things that happened," she testified.

Salman also testified that she did not want to be "married off" at age 18 and had tried to get a divorce. "You try to leave, it is death," she testified. She said she eventually fled with other refugees and separated from her husband.

She was detained in Baghouz, Syria, in 2019 by forces fighting ISIS and was arrested by U.S. authorities after returning to New York in 2024. According to The Associated Press, her attorneys have asked the judge to set aside the verdict and acquit her, arguing that the evidence presented at trial was legally insufficient to sustain the conviction.