The Justice Division underneath Legal professional Basic Pam Bondi on Monday introduced a U.S. citizen has been sentenced to 10 years in federal jail for becoming a member of ISIS. File Photograph by Samuel Corum/UPI | License Photograph
June 3 (UPI) — A 49-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen who pleaded responsible to prices of preventing U.S.-led coalition forces as an Islamic State militant has been sentenced to 10 years in federal jail.
Lirim Sylejmani was sentenced Monday after pleading responsible in December to prices of receiving navy coaching from ISIS, a chosen international terrorist group.
“The defendant will spend a decade in jail enthusiastic about the betrayal to this nation,” U.S. Legal professional Jeanine Ferris Pirro stated in a press release.
Sylejmani and his household had been detained by the Syrian Democratic Forces in Syria on Feb. 27, 2019, as coalition fighters made their remaining advances on ISIS’ final caliphate within the nation, which fell the following month.
He was then transferred to U.S. regulation enforcement on Sept. 15 the next yr to face prices in the US.
In accordance with prosecutors, Sylejmani labored with ISIS from November 2015, when he moved from Kosovo to Syria to hitch the militant group, to the day of his seize.
Prosecutors stated he modified his title to Abu Sulayman al-Kosovi and skilled alongside different recruits to be an ISIS soldier following his arrival within the Center Japanese nation. His coaching included instruction on utilizing AK-47 rifles, PK machine weapons, M-16 rifles and grenades.
The Justice Division stated he fought towards the Syrian Democratic Forces and was wounded in battle, having been hit by shrapnel within the leg. Due to the damage, he was reassigned to a unique battalion within the fall of 2017. Prosecutors stated he was paid for his companies by ISIS.
After being captured, Sylejmani spoke with numerous media shops, telling NPR in late 2019 that he and his household arrived in Syria by way of Canada. He stated ISIS promised them free housing, electrical energy and water, however as an alternative, they “starved” residing underneath the caliphate.
“Anybody considering that ISIS is the reply to their questions, greatest suppose once more,” Pirro stated. “We’ll go to any lengths to root out subversive people who need to overthrow the federal government and hurt its residents.”