US citizen who fought for ISIS in Syria sentenced to 10 years in prison
A naturalized U.S. citizen, Lirim Sylejmani, has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to receiving military training from the Islamic State in Syria. Sylejmani, originally from Kosovo, moved to Chicago 25 years ago and engaged in at least one battle against U.S.-led coalition forces after entering Syria a decade ago.
U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras in Washington, D.C., handed down Sylejmani’s prison sentence, which will be followed by a lifetime of supervised release. Sylejmani pleaded guilty to one count of receiving military training from a foreign terrorist organization in December.
In November 2015, Sylejmani and his family traveled to Turkey before crossing into Syria, where he received training with other ISIS recruits until February 2019 when he was captured by Syrian forces in Baghouz. His military training included instruction on various weapons, including AK-47 rifles, PK Machine guns, M-16 rifles, and grenades. He was once injured in a battle with Syrian forces in June 2016.
Prosecutors stated that Sylejmani, who adopted the name Abu Sulayman al-Kosovi, pledged allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi and the ISIS organization in front of an Iraqi ISIS member. He was transferred to the U.S. in September 2020 to face criminal charges in Washington, D.C.
Interim U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, a former Fox News host, emphasized the severity of Sylejmani’s actions, stating, “Anyone thinking that ISIS is the answer to their questions, best think again.” She added, “We will go to any lengths to root out subversive individuals who want to overthrow the government and harm its citizens.”
Sylejmani’s attorneys claim he is not a committed jihadist and does not support violence. They stated that he is remorseful for his actions and the harm he has caused to his family, who remain detained in a refugee camp in Syria. His lawyers expressed his desire to complete his sentence and reunite with his wife and children to live an average, law-abiding life with them.
The rewritten article seamlessly integrates into a WordPress platform, incorporating the original HTML tags, headings, and key points while presenting the information in a unique manner.
