U.S. citizen who joined Islamic State in Syria sentenced to 10 years in jail

WASHINGTON — A naturalized U.S. citizen who pleaded responsible to receiving army coaching from the Islamic State group was sentenced Monday to 10 years in federal jail.

Lirim Sylejmani, 49, engaged in at the very least one battle in opposition to U.S.-led forces after he entered Syria in 2015, in keeping with prosecutors.

U.S. District Decide Rudolph Contreras in Washington, D.C., imposed Sylejmani’s jail sentence adopted by a lifetime of supervised launch.

Sylejmani, who was born in Kosovo and moved to Chicago roughly 25 years in the past, pleaded responsible final December to 1 rely of receiving army coaching from a international terrorist group.

In November 2015, Sylejmani and his household flew to Turkey after which crossed the border into Syria, the place he started coaching with different IS recruits, in keeping with prosecutors. They stated he was injured in a battle with Syrian forces in June 2016 and was captured together with his household in Baghouz, Syria, in February 2019.

“The conduct is way over a single, impulsive act. He selected to jeopardize the security of his household by bringing them to a war-torn nation to affix and take up arms for ISIS,” prosecutors wrote.

Sylejmani’s attorneys say he is not a “dedicated jihadist” and does not espouse violence.

“He’s guilt ridden for his actions and the hurt he has visited on his household, who stay detained in a refugee camp in Syria dwelling below horrible circumstances,” his legal professionals wrote. “He needs solely to finish his time and discover his spouse and kids, so he can dwell a mean law-abiding life with them.”