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American Mom Who Joined IS Sentenced to More Than 6 Years in Prison

Jeff Seldin

   WASHINGTON - The lone woman brought back to the United States and
   charged withsupporting the Islamic State terror group will spend the
   next six and a half years in prison,followed by three years of
   supervised release.

   A judge handed down the sentenceMondayfor 35-year-old
   SamanthaElHassani, more than five years after she took her children to
   join her husband and his brother in Syria.

   ElHassani, originally from Elkhart, Indiana, was eventually captured by
   the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and was repatriated
   along with her four children in July 2018.

   She pleaded guilty to terrorism financing charges last year.

   "Today's sentence serves as a strong reminder that the FBI will never
   relent in ensuring those who abandon their country to support a violent
   terrorist organization, such as Ms.ElHassanidid, will be held
   accountable," FBI Special Agent in Charge Paul Keenansaid in a
   statement.

   "She knew exactly what she was doing and why," Keenan added."She was an
   active participant in this heinous activity and is now facing the
   consequences."

   According to court documents,ElHassanihelped her husband and his
   brother join IS by smuggling more than $30,000 in cash and gold to Hong
   Kong, which she then used to acquire tactical gear, including rifle
   scopes and image-stabilized binoculars.

   From Hong Kong, the family traveled to Istanbul, Turkey, finally
   reaching IS-held territory in Syria sometime around June 2015.

   Until her guilty plea,ElHassanihad maintainedthather husband had
   tricked her into traveling to Syria while they had been on vacation.

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