Skip to main content

‘It just sounded very nice’: US indicts Chicago man who shouldered a rifle for IS

Lirim Sylejmani claimed the caliphate was not what he expected
gi-99.jpg

Federal prosecutors in the District of Columbia this week unsealed charges against a Kosovo-born US citizen who admittedly joined the Islamic State in Syria and was captured in the waning days of the multinational war against the jihadi group.

Lirim Sylejmani, previously a resident of Chicago, was held in a prison run by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in the city of Hasakah for more than a year before being transferred to the United States by the FBI.

Prosecutors have charged Sylejmani with providing material support to the Islamic State, and receiving training from the terrorist group.

“The defendant is a US citizen who abandoned the country that welcomed him to join ISIS in Syria,” Acting US Attorney Michael Sherwin said, according to a Department of Justice press release. “He will now be held accountable for his actions in an American courtroom.” The Islamic State is often abbreviated as IS or ISIS.

In November, Sylejmani told this journalist (when the journalist wrote for The Defense Post) that he had smuggled his wife and two small children into war-torn Syria because he “wanted to live in an Islamic country.”

Asked why Saudi Arabia or Pakistan might not be suitable alternatives, he said the so-called Islamic State had offered free housing and electricity. “It just sounded very nice,” he said, despite being aware of the groups’ beheadings and sexual slavery, in which he claimed he took no part.

Prior to his departure, Sylejmani absorbed jihadi propaganda and communicated with IS members via his home computer. “People told me how happy they were” under IS. “They loved it,” he said.

Sylejmani, who has a background in engineering from the University of Illinois, Chicago, said he imagined rebuilding homes in the increasingly bombed-out IS caliphate.

Instead, he said, he was robbed by Turkish soldiers on his way into Syria. Upon arrival he was thrown in the back of a truck bound for Iraq, where he was given a Kalashnikov and put through jihadi basic training.

Sylejmani denied he had been a fighter, claiming he was somehow exempt due to marriage. Paradoxically, he admitted he carried his weapon and was shipped from one key battlefront city to another amid the caliphate’s bloody disintegration.

He finally surrendered during the one of several humanitarian cease-fires during the battle of Baghouz, where the remnants of IS made their final stand on the Euphrates near the Iraqi border.

In detention, he was interviewed by a number of Western journalists. Few of his claims could be verified.

Sylejmani, who also said he has lived in Canada, is believed to be among the last US citizens suspected of IS membership still held in Syria. Last year, he said he hoped to be extradited to Kosovo. “It’s a small country,” he told this journalist.

Sylejmani has already appeared before a federal judge in Washington.

Join hundreds of Middle East professionals with Al-Monitor PRO.

Business and policy professionals use PRO to monitor the regional economy and improve their reports, memos and presentations. Try it for free and cancel anytime.

Already a Member? Sign in

Free

The Middle East's Best Newsletters

Join over 50,000 readers who access our journalists dedicated newsletters, covering the top political, security, business and tech issues across the region each week.
Delivered straight to your inbox.

Free

What's included:
Our Expertise

Free newsletters available:

  • The Takeaway & Week in Review
  • Middle East Minute (AM)
  • Daily Briefing (PM)
  • Business & Tech Briefing
  • Security Briefing
  • Gulf Briefing
  • Israel Briefing
  • Palestine Briefing
  • Turkey Briefing
  • Iraq Briefing
Expert

Premium Membership

Join the Middle East's most notable experts for premium memos, trend reports, live video Q&A, and intimate in-person events, each detailing exclusive insights on business and geopolitical trends shaping the region.

$25.00 / month
billed annually

Become Member Start with 1-week free trial
What's included:
Our Expertise AI-driven

Memos - premium analytical writing: actionable insights on markets and geopolitics.

Live Video Q&A - Hear from our top journalists and regional experts.

Special Events - Intimate in-person events with business & political VIPs.

Trend Reports - Deep dive analysis on market updates.

All premium Industry Newsletters - Monitor the Middle East's most important industries. Prioritize your target industries for weekly review:

  • Capital Markets & Private Equity
  • Venture Capital & Startups
  • Green Energy
  • Supply Chain
  • Sustainable Development
  • Leading Edge Technology
  • Oil & Gas
  • Real Estate & Construction
  • Banking

We also offer team plans. Please send an email to pro.support@al-monitor.com and we'll onboard your team.

Already a Member? Sign in

The Middle East in your inbox Insights in your inbox.

Deepen your knowledge of the Middle East

Trend Reports

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (4th R) attends a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (3rd L) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on February 22, 2019. (Photo by HOW HWEE YOUNG / POOL / AFP) (Photo credit should read HOW HWEE YOUNG/AFP via Getty Images)
Premium

From roads to routers: The future of China-Middle East connectivity

A general view shows the solar plant in Uyayna, north of Riyadh, on March 29, 2018. - On March 27, Saudi announced a deal with Japan's SoftBank to build the world's biggest solar plant. (Photo by FAYEZ NURELDINE / AFP) (Photo credit should read FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images)
Premium

Regulations on Middle East renewable energy industry starting to take shape

Start your PRO membership today.

Join the Middle East's top business and policy professionals to access exclusive PRO insights today.

Join Al-Monitor PRO Start with 1-week free trial