A federal jury in New York convicted 27-year-old U.S. citizen Halima Salman on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026, of receiving military-type weapons training from the Islamic State, according to CBS News. Prosecutors presented evidence including a certificate of completion, photographs with an extremist flag, and video footage of Salman holding an assault rifle, dismantling her defense’s portrayal of her as an unwilling captive trapped abroad.
Salman, who was born in Brooklyn, faced trial in the U.S. District Court after being arrested upon her return to New York in 2024. Following the verdict, U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. stated that the decision holds Salman accountable for joining forces with a terrorist organization that caused widespread devastation.
Trial Evidence and Defense Arguments
During the proceedings, federal prosecutors established that Salman was taken to Syria in 2017 when she was 17 years old by her father, who told the family they were visiting relatives in Turkey before crossing into militant-controlled territory. While in Syria, she was married to a German-Afghan IS fighter, as reported by Daily Caller. Her father was later killed in a 2018 airstrike.
The defense argued that Salman was trapped by circumstances beyond her control, first by her father and subsequently by an extremist husband whose orders she had to follow under threat of death. Salman testified that she tried to secure a divorce and only complied with her husband’s demands when handling weapons. However, prosecutors countered with cross-examination admissions, showing she sent supportive messages and religious material, including a song about Osama bin Laden.
Legal Stakes and Sentencing
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg emphasized the severity of the charges, stating that aligning with or receiving military training from an organization responsible for mass executions and systematic terror is indefensible. The jury deliberated extensively after receiving the case last Thursday, returning the guilty verdict following questions over the weekend.
Salman’s conviction for receiving military training from a designated foreign terrorist organization carries a potential prison sentence of up to 10 years. The federal judge scheduled sentencing for Feb. 2, 2027, while defense attorneys requested an acquittal based on insufficiency of trial evidence.
The historical trial brought into sharp focus the complex legal and national security challenges facing federal prosecutors when dealing with American citizens who traveled to territories controlled by jihadist groups as minors or young adults. Investigators with the FBI New York Field Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York spearheaded the case, highlighting the agency’s enduring priority to investigate individuals linked to foreign terrorist organizations upon their return to the United States.
Court filings and trial testimony detailed how Salman’s journey began in Brooklyn, where she had participated in the Girl Scouts and studied sewing and craft-making before her life was upended by her father’s actions. Defense attorney Mia Eisner-Grynberg told jurors that Salman had been through extreme hardship, spending initial weeks locked in a room while bombs struck nearby areas, and later living through deteriorating conditions that included seeing dead bodies on the streets during the collapse of the self-proclaimed caliphate.
Prosecutors, however, maintained that Salman exercised individual agency and chose to align herself with the violent ideology of the Islamic State. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Shami pointed to digital evidence recovered by investigators, including a video clip where Salman was filmed handling an assault rifle and photographs positioning her alongside the group’s insignia. These elements were central to undermining the narrative that she acted exclusively under duress.
The jury’s deliberations underscored the gravity of the discussions, stretching across multiple days and prompting inquiries that reflected the nuanced testimonies presented by both sides. While the defense team announced intentions to seek an acquittal on grounds that the evidence failed to legally substantiate the verdict, the court’s formal acceptance of the guilty finding moves the case firmly toward the scheduled sentencing hearing in early February.