Lirim Sylejmani, 49, a U.S. citizen who was born in Kosovo, was sentenced on Monday to 10 years in prison and then supervised release for life for training with and fighting for the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), the U.S. Justice Department stated.
Sylejmani, who goes by Abu Sulayman al-Kosovi, pleaded guilty on Dec. 12, 2024, to undergoing military-style training from a U.S.-designated terror group.
“This defendant will spend a decade in prison thinking about the betrayal to this country,” stated Jeanine Ferris Pirro, the interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia.
“Anyone thinking that ISIS is the answer to their questions, best think again,” she stated. “We will go to any lengths to root out subversive individuals who want to overthrow the government and harm its citizens.”
Sylejmani joined ISIS in Syria in November 2015 and underwent a 21-day training, which “included instruction on how to assemble and fire an AK-47 rifle, as well as how to use a PK Machine gun, M-16 rifle and grenades,” per the Justice Department.
He fought for ISIS, was injured and received payment from the terror group.