Halima Salman, a New York woman who was married to an ISIS fighter in Syria as a teenager, faces up to 10 years in prison after being convicted of receiving weapons training from the group

A New York woman, whose father took her to Syria as a teenager and arranged her marriage to an Islamic State (ISIS) fighter, was on Tuesday (Oct. 27) convicted of receiving weapons training from the militant organization. Prosecutors said Halima Salman, a 27-year-old American citizen, pledged loyalty to the group and willingly took part in its activities. The court was shown a video of her holding an assault rifle and a photo of her in front of the Islamic State flag.

The defense had sought to portray Salman as a teen who was trapped in Syria’s civil war, first by her father and then by an extremist husband whose orders she had to follow. "You try to leave, it is death," Salman testified.

Salman's journey to Syria and back

Salman, born in Brooklyn, was 17 years old when her father, a guard for the ISIS, took the family on what she believed was a trip to visit relatives in Turkey in 2017. Instead, they crossed into Syria, where masked gunman surrounded them. Salman said she had no idea where her father was taking them. "I do blame my father for a lot of things that happened," she told the court.

She said she spent three months in housing run by the Islamic State before reuniting with her family. They moved several times as their residences were hit by airstrikes.

Salman spent much of her marriage doing domestic labor for her husband and mother-in-law. Her father died after being injured in an airstrike in 2018.

Salman recounted that her last year of marriage was especially hard, with constant bombings sometimes forcing them to live in the streets as she recalled seeing dead bodies "everywhere."

The couple eventually fled with other refugees in a truck, where she told her husband that they were going to separate. Salman testified that she never saw him again.

Salman was detained in Syria's Baghuz town in 2019 by forces opposed to the ISIS. She was arrested by US officials when she returned to New York in 2024.

Halima Salman's sentencing

Amanda Shami, an assistant US attorney, told the jury during closing arguments last week that evidence showed "the defendant received military training from a violent, brutal, terrorist organization – an organization that is responsible for attacks across the world."

Salman’s conviction means she could be sent to prison for up to 10 years. Her sentencing is set to take place on February 2.