On April 8, 2014, Shannon Conley, age 19, of Arvada, Colorado, aka “Halima,” was arrested by the FBI for supporting the ISIS terrorist organization, as well as support to the Al-Qaeda terrorist organization.

The FBI reports:

“According to court documents, including the stipulated facts in the plea agreement, from about sometime in February 2014 and continuing through April 8, 2014, Conley and a co-conspirator did unlawfully work together and with other individuals known and unknown to commit an offense against the United States, specifically to provide and attempt to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization, specifically Al-Qaeda (AQ) and its affiliates, including Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI), a/k/a the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI), a/k/a the Islamic State of Iraq and Al Sham (ISIS), a/k/a the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). The conspiracy was accomplished, in part, when Conley met the co-conspirator on the Internet. During their communications, they shared their view of Islam as requiring participation in violent jihad. The co-conspirator communicated to Conley that he was an active member of an Al-Qaeda (AQ) affiliate fighting in Syria known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Al Sham (ISIS). The two then decided to become engaged; and, together they worked to have Conley travel to Syria to join her new fiancé. Before traveling to Syria, Conley refined and obtained additional training and skills in order to provide support and assistance to any AQ and/or ISIS fighter. Conley also intended to fight if it became necessary to do so. In furtherance of the conspiracy, Conley joined the U.S. Army Explorers (USAE) to be trained in U.S. military tactics and in firearms. She traveled to Texas and attended the USAE training. She also obtained first aid/nursing certification and National Rifle Association certification. Conley knew that ISIS was a designated foreign terrorist organization. In fact, on numerous occasions, Special Agents with the FBI met with her in extraordinary attempts to persuade her not to carry out her plans to travel overseas to provide support to a foreign terrorist organization and to engage in violent jihad. On March 29, 2014, the co-conspirator, together with others, arranged for an airline ticket to be purchased for Conley to travel to Turkey, departing from Denver on April 8, 2014. On April 8, 2014, Conley traveled to Denver International Airport and attempted to board the flight to Turkey. She was then arrested by FBI agents. A subsequent search of Conley’s home revealed DVDs of Anwar Al-Awlaki lectures and a number of books and articles about Al-Qaeda, its affiliate groups, and jihad. Agents also recovered shooting targets labeled with the number of rounds fired and distances.”

On September 10, 2014, Shannon Conley pled guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Raymond P. Moore to one count of conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.

On January 23, 2015, Shannon Conley was sentenced “to serve 48 months in federal prison, followed by three years on supervised release, for conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. During her supervised release, Judge Moore ordered her to serve 100 hours of community service. ”

CNN has reported on this case: “Shannon Maureen Conley, 19, allegedly told FBI agents before her arrest that she was going to be with a member of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, that she had met through the Internet.  Conley, a certified nurse aide, had told FBI agents she was going to be the man’s wife and a nurse in a ISIS camp near the Turkish border, documents showed.  Conley first came to the attention of authorities after the pastor and the security director at a church in Arvada, Colorado, called police and said she was acting suspiciously. Authorities interviewed her seven times over the course of five months before arresting her at the airport.”

At her sentencing, CNN reported that Judge Moore felt that Conley was unrepentant.  “The judge said a belief, even if she was misled by ill-intentioned extremists asserting religion justifies violent jihad, does not excuse her actions. ‘There is a string of defiance that rolls through her life that I have not seen change yet,’ Moore said. ‘Defiance has been a part of the fabric for a long time and that is concerning.’ The judge talked about how she showed up to a meeting with the FBI wearing a T-shirt that said, ‘Sniper don’t run, you’ll die trying.’ The judge also mentioned how investigators tried to stop Conley with multiple warnings that following through on her plans could lead to her arrest. She responded with, ‘I’d rather go to prison than do nothing,’ according to Moore. ‘What am I to do about this obsession with the military?’ Moore said. He said Conley planned to be a police officer and join the military and then went to training with U.S. Army Explorers to learn military skills. What if one reason she desired to go to Syria to marry an ISIS fighter wasn’t just because she shared a belief in jihad, but ‘because he was attractive to her because he was a soldier?’ the judge asked. The judge noted that Conley still signs letters ‘behind enemy lines.’ A female imam went to mentor Conley in jail and reported that Conley wanted to talk about violent jihad. The judge said it’s surprising that Conley suddenly is disavowing jihad and that she has seemed to do a 180-degree turn in a very short period. The judge also brought up a letter Conley wrote to a friend that seemed to mock the American people’s concern about terrorism.”

Conley’s attorney stated that she has used her time in prison to read entire the Qur’an. He noted that Conley, a convert to Islam, changed her adopted Muslim name from Halima to Amatullah, because she is a different person now. Amatullah means female ‘servant of Allah.’ Conley initially took the name Halima after converting to Islam.”

 

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