Halima Salman federal trial for ISIS training

A federal trial has commenced in New York for 27-year-old Halima Salman, who is accused of receiving military-style training from the Islamic State in Syria. This marks the first time an American woman has faced such charges in a federal court trial. According to the indictment, Salman arrived in an Islamic State-controlled region of Syria in 2016 at the age of 17. The prosecution is charging her with ‘receiving military-type training from a foreign terrorist organization,’ an offense that carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

During the proceedings, federal prosecutors presented video footage of Salman handling a firearm and a digital training certificate allegedly qualifying her to carry a Kalashnikov rifle and 250 rounds of ammunition. Salman testified in her own defense, denying support for the terrorist organization and stating, “I believe that ISIS did very scary things which deceive the way Islam is visioned.” Her defense maintains that she was a victim of her father’s decision to move the family to ISIS-controlled territory while she was a minor and that her marriage to a militant was arranged.