U.S. woman who became ISIS teen bride convicted of getting weapons training from terror group

October 28, 2026 / 7:06 AM EDT / CBS/AP

A New York woman whose father took her to Syria as a teenager and arranged her marriage to an Islamic State fighter was convicted Tuesday of receiving weapons training from the militant group.

Prosecutors said Halima Salman, a U.S. citizen, pledged loyalty to the extremist group and willingly participated in its activities. Jurors were shown a video of her holding an assault rifle, a photo of her with the group's flag, and loving text messages she sent her husband.

"With today's verdict, Salman is held accountable for joining forces with a terrorist organization," U.S. attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. said in a statement. "ISIS ravaged Syria and caused havoc across the globe; our Office will continue to prosecute those who supported its murderous reign."

The defense sought to portray Salman, now 27, as a teenager who was unwittingly trapped in Syria's civil war, first by her father and later by an extremist husband whose orders she had to follow.

"You try to leave, it is death," Salman testified. She said she refused to be "married off" at age 18 and repeatedly tried to get a divorce.

Salman's mother is an American, and…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/world/