A Brooklyn-born woman is currently on trial in federal court for allegedly receiving military training from the terrorist organization ISIS. Halima Salman, 27, faces charges related to her involvement with ISIS during her late teens and early adulthood after moving with her family to ISIS-controlled territory in Syria.
Salman was born in Brooklyn in 1999 to an American mother and a Turkish father. She testified that in 2016, when she was 17, her father relocated the family first to Turkey and then to an area in Syria under ISIS control. Prosecutors allege that at 18, Salman married an ISIS member known as Abu Ali and underwent weapons training, including operating an AK-47 assault rifle, reportedly conducted by a female-only ISIS battalion. Authorities presented video footage during the trial showing Salman handling a firearm within her husband’s home in Syria. Investigators also introduced a digital document purportedly issued by ISIS certifying her qualification to carry a rifle and ammunition. Her legal team has disputed the authenticity of the certificate and questioned the lack of detailed evidence regarding the training she allegedly received.
Throughout the week-long trial, prosecutors described Salman as having embraced the violent extremist group, highlighting her marriage arrangement, which included a dowry paid by her husband’s family to her father. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Shami emphasized the dangers posed by ISIS and argued that Salman willingly participated in the organization’s militant activities.
In contrast, Salman testified in her own defense, denying support for ISIS and characterizing her involvement as coerced. She described being forced into marriage by her father soon after arriving in Syria, expressing fear and emotional distress over her circumstances. She also stated that she spent two years living under ISIS control before being detained by Kurdish forces who dismantled the terror group. After five years in Kurdish detention centers, Salman was repatriated to the United States in 2024 along with other family members as part of a State Department initiative. She was arrested upon arrival at JFK Airport.
Her ex-husband remains in custody in Iraq, while none of her other family members face charges. Salman's mother is attending the trial in support of her daughter. The defense is expected to deliver closing arguments before jurors begin deliberations.
If convicted, Salman faces up to 10 years in prison for the charge of knowingly receiving military training from a terrorist organization. The case is notable as one of the first in the U.S. to put a female ISIS member on trial, drawing attention to issues surrounding the repatriation and prosecution of American citizens who lived under ISIS control.