Brooklyn Jury Convicts American Woman of Receiving Military-Type Training From ISIS in Syria

What happened

Jurors in a Brooklyn federal court found Halima Salman, 27, guilty of getting military-type instruction from the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) while in Syria, the Department of Justice announced on October 27, 2026 ^[1]. Salman is an American citizen who once lived in Brooklyn ^[1]. Her trial lasted two weeks and was heard by U.S. District Judge Natasha C. Merle; the department says she also used the name "Umm Khattab al-Muhajir" ^[1].

The government's account of the trial evidence says her parents left the country with her and her eight siblings in September and October 2016, bound for territory ISIS held in Syria ^[1]. By late 2016 or early 2017 she was 18, the wife of an ISIS fighter, and, per prosecutors, chose to take the training and got ISIS permission to carry an assault rifle and ammunition ^[1]. Evidence cited by the department includes a completion certificate, pictures showing an ISIS flag behind her and a clip of her with an AK-47 rifle, all taken from her husband's phone once it was recovered on the battlefield ^[1].

How it affects Americans

The case was brought in an American court against an American citizen over training from a group the department calls a designated foreign terrorist organization ^[1]. The FBI New York Field Office investigated, and prosecutors for the Eastern District of New York tried the case ^[1]. Officials quoted in the release say those who support ISIS will be found and prosecuted, and the FBI noted it had been nearly a decade since Salman sought the training ^[1].

The Veil Press view

The facts here come from the Department of Justice's account of what was proven at trial, and the release does not include the defense's side ^[1]. It also gives no sentencing date and no possible penalty, so readers should not assume either ^[1]. What the record does show is that a jury heard two weeks of evidence and returned a guilty verdict on the training charge ^[1].

What we know

Confirmed

• Halima Salman, 27, was convicted by a Brooklyn federal jury of receiving military-type training from ISIS in Syria ^[1].
• Salman is a U.S. citizen who formerly lived in Brooklyn, the department says ^[1].
• The verdict followed a two-week trial before U.S. District Judge Natasha C. Merle ^[1].
• The FBI New York Field Office investigated the case ^[1].

Still being reported

• No sentencing date or potential penalty is stated in the Department of Justice announcement ^[1].