A US-born woman, Halima Salman, also known as Umm al-Khattab al-Muhajir, was arrested at JFK Airport in Queens after being repatriated from Syria along with her family. The arrest came as part of the State Department’s efforts to bring back American citizens held in Kurdish-run Syrian detention centers. Salman, now 25 years old, has been charged with knowingly receiving military-type training from ISIS, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years.
According to court documents, Salman’s lawyer, Samuel Jacobson, argued that her father manipulated her into joining the armed extremist group when she was just 17 years old. Prosecutors allege that Salman flew out of JFK Airport in October 2016, bound for Istanbul via Moscow, before making her way to a militant-controlled region in Syria. There, she allegedly married an ISIS member and joined Nusaybah Katiba, a female-only military unit of the terror organization.
Prosecutors claim that Salman completed training with ISIS at the age of 18, including learning how to use an AK-47 assault rifle. However, when questioned by FBI agents in November 2019, Salman denied attending any ISIS training or owning a weapon. Evidence collected from a cell phone traced to her ISIS-member husband contradicted her claims. The phone contained image files showing Salman with an AK-47, with the ISIS flag visible in the background. A video also depicted her brandishing the weapon.
Furthermore, investigators discovered a digital image of a document on the phone, certifying Salman’s successful completion of military training and her qualification to receive ammunition for the AK-47 she possessed. The document bore the signature stamp of Nusaybah Katiba.
Salman, her mother, and eight siblings were repatriated to the US on Tuesday, marking the largest single repatriation of US citizens from northeast Syria to date. At her arraignment in Brooklyn, federal prosecutors argued that Salman posed a significant danger to the community if released on bond. Her lawyer downplayed the significance of the videos showing her with the assault rifle, stating that it was common for people in those areas to possess such weapons.
The life of Shani Louk, a 22-year-old Israeli woman brutally killed by Hamas terrorists during…
Auburn running back Brian Battie is currently in critical condition after being shot over the…
A man suspected of firing a gun in San Jose on Sunday has been critically…
As the hush money trial involving former President Donald Trump approaches its conclusion, his legal…
A Los Angeles police officer sustained injuries early Sunday morning when a man stole her…
As the prosecution rests its case in the criminal trial of former President Donald Trump,…
View Comments
This situation is like a puzzle piece being taken out of a completed puzzle and then put back in the wrong spot. Halima Salman, who was born in the US, decided to leave her home country and go to Syria with her family. However, after some time, they were brought back to the US and arrested at JFK Airport. This is similar to a puzzle piece being removed from its original place and then forced back into a different spot, causing confusion and disruption.
I find it interesting that this woman was repatriated from Syria along with her family. It raises questions about the motivations behind her decision to leave the US and join a conflict zone. I would love to hear the author's thoughts on the factors that might drive someone to make such a drastic choice and the potential implications for national security.