A naturalized American citizen who turned his back on the United States and joined the ranks of the Islamic terrorist group ISIS in Syria will now spend a decade behind bars.
Lirim Sylejmani, 49, will now also face a lifetime under federal supervision.
Sylejmani, originally from Kosovo and a Chicago resident for 25 years, pleaded guilty to receiving terror training from the Islamic State (ISIS).
On Monday, a federal judge in Washington, D.C., sentenced him to 10 years in prison, followed by lifetime supervised release.
Sylejmani traveled with his family to Syria in 2015, where he joined the Islamic terror group.
He received weapons training, fought against U.S.-led coalition forces, and swore loyalty to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
“This defendant will spend a decade in prison thinking about the betrayal to this country,” said interim U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro.
Pirro made clear this case sends a message: America will not tolerate betrayal from within, especially from those granted the privilege of citizenship.
“We will go to any lengths to root out subversive individuals who want to overthrow the government and harm its citizens,” she added.
Sylejmani’s ISIS alias was Abu Sulayman al-Kosovi, and he wasn’t just a passive sympathizer.
Prosecutors say he was actively trained in military tactics, including the use of AK-47s, M-16s, PK machine guns, and grenades, and took part in at least one armed battle.
He was injured in 2016 during combat with Syrian forces.
Despite the injury, Sylejmani remained with ISIS until his capture in 2019.
He was transferred to U.S. custody in September 2020 to face charges.
His attorneys, attempting damage control, claim he’s not a “committed jihadist” and that he now regrets his actions.
They say he’s “guilt-ridden” and wants to be reunited with his family members, who are still detained in a refugee camp in Syria.
But prosecutors weren’t buying the redemption story.
“This conduct is far more than a single, impulsive act,” prosecutors wrote.
“He chose to jeopardize the safety of his family by bringing them to a war-torn country to join and take up arms for ISIS.”
Sylejmani’s case is a sobering reminder that citizenship is not a shield for those who would join America’s enemies.
His sentence affirms that the federal government takes terrorism from within seriously, especially when it involves U.S. citizens betraying the American people and fighting against their own country’s troops.
With ISIS still recruiting online and Americans facing a rising threat of homegrown extremism, the Justice Department has sent a clear message:
You will be found. You will be charged. And you will be held accountable.
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