Halima Salman convicted of receiving ISIS military training in Syria, faces 10 years in prison

The federal jury convicted Halima Salman of knowingly receiving military-style training from ISIS while she lived in Syria. The finding matters because it held her criminally responsible for accepting training from a terrorist organization, despite her defense arguing that she had limited control over her circumstances.

Prosecutors said Salman voluntarily sought the training after marrying an ISIS fighter at age 18. ISIS authorized her to carry an assault rifle and gave her a document confirming that she completed the training. The document was later recovered from her husband’s cellphone.

The verdict came after jurors twice returned to deliberations because they struggled to agree. Salman faces up to 10 years in prison, and her lawyers have asked the judge to set aside the verdict and acquit her. Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 2.

ISIS is the name commonly used for the Islamic State, a terrorist organization that sought to control territory in Iraq and Syria. The article describes ISIS as a group that ravaged Syria and caused havoc across the globe. Its territorial control gave the organization power over people living in areas it held.

For Salman, living in ISIS-controlled territory meant residing where the group operated and exercised authority. Prosecutors said she married an ISIS fighter, pledged loyalty, received authorization to carry an assault rifle, and completed military-style training. They also said she willingly participated in ISIS activities.

Salman gave a different account. She testified that her father took the family into Syria when she thought they were visiting relatives in Turkey. She later said she tried to leave her marriage and eventually fled with refugees. She was detained in 2019 and returned to New York in 2024.

Salman faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison after the federal jury convicted her. The article does not state the exact sentence prosecutors will seek or the sentence the judge is likely to impose. The maximum is therefore not the same as a guaranteed punishment.

Sentencing is the separate stage that follows the verdict. At that hearing, the judge will determine the punishment permitted under the case. The article states that Salman is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 2. It does not provide the hearing’s year or describe any recommended sentence.

Before that date, Salman’s lawyers are challenging the conviction itself. They have asked the judge to set aside the verdict and acquit her, arguing that the trial evidence was legally insufficient. If the judge grants that request, the conviction would not stand and sentencing would not proceed on that conviction.

Prosecutors argued that the evidence showed Salman knowingly and voluntarily received military-style training from ISIS. Their case focused on conduct and records that, they said, connected her directly to the organization and demonstrated that she accepted its role in her life.

Jurors saw video of Salman holding an assault rifle and a photograph showing her with an ISIS flag. Prosecutors also presented supportive text messages she sent to her husband. ISIS had authorized her to carry the rifle, and officials said a document certifying that she completed training was recovered from her husband’s cellphone.

The government also said Salman married an ISIS fighter, pledged loyalty to ISIS, and willingly participated in its activities. Salman disputed that interpretation. She testified that her father brought the family to Syria and that she tried to leave her marriage. The jury nevertheless convicted her.

A conviction establishes guilt, but sentencing is still a separate court stage. Salman is scheduled to return for sentencing on Feb. 2, when the judge will decide the punishment within the law. The article does not describe her custody status or other routine post-verdict conditions, so those details cannot be determined from the report.

Salman’s attorneys have already asked the judge to set aside the verdict and acquit her. Their argument is that the evidence presented at trial was legally insufficient to sustain the conviction. This is a challenge to whether the proof met the legal standard, not simply an expression of disagreement with the jury’s conclusion.

If the judge grants the request, the conviction would be vacated and Salman would be acquitted on that count. If the request is denied, the conviction remains in place and the case proceeds toward sentencing. The article does not say when the judge will rule.

Salman’s defense described her as someone with little control over how she entered ISIS territory or lived there. Her lawyers portrayed her as a teenager drawn into Syria through her father and later her husband. That framing challenged the prosecution’s claim that she freely chose to support ISIS and accept its training.

Salman testified that she believed her family was visiting relatives in Turkey when her father took them across the border into Syria. She said she did not want to be married off at 18, tried to get a divorce, and testified, “You try to leave, it is death.” She later fled with refugees and separated from her husband.

In a criminal case, coercion or lack of meaningful choice can matter because the government may need to prove a knowing and voluntary act. The jury rejected the defense at trial. The article does not say whether the judge will accept the same argument after conviction.

The United States can prosecute a citizen for certain conduct overseas when Congress has made the relevant federal offense apply outside the country. Laws addressing material support or training for a designated foreign terrorist organization can reach qualifying conduct abroad, including conduct by U.S. citizens. This reflects the government’s interest in preventing support for terrorist groups.

In Salman’s case, prosecutors alleged that she knowingly received military-style training from ISIS in Syria. They also pointed to her alleged loyalty pledge, ISIS authorization to carry an assault rifle, and training certificate. U.S. authorities arrested her after she returned to New York in 2024.

The article does not identify the precise charge or statute used, so it does not provide the legal basis in detail. Generally, prosecutors still must prove every required element, including the defendant’s knowledge and the character of the conduct. Salman’s lawyers argue that the evidence did not meet that standard.