Shannon Maureen Conley
Shannon Maureen Conley is an American citizen from Colorado who tried to travel to Daesh occupied territory, after becoming sympathetic to jihadism.[1] She planned to marry Yousr Mouelhi, a jihadi fighter she met online, once she arrived. However, on April 8, 2014, she was arrested by American security officials, and faced charges of material support for terrorism. She was convicted in January 2015, and received a four year sentence.[2] She was one of the first individuals to be convicted for supporting Daesh.
Conley was first pointed out to security officials by the pastor and security director of her church.[1] Church officials suspicions were triggered by sketches she was making, of the church, which had been attacked by a spree killer, in 2007.[3] FBI officials interviewed her five times, prior to arresting her when she tried to leave the USA. She had been directly warned by the FBI that she would be subject to arrest if she tried to leave the USA, due to alarming statements she made in those interviews. She had said, for instance, that she hated her church for its support of the state of Israel.
A search of her home turned up recordings of speeches by Anwar al-Awlaki, and used targets from a shooting range.[3]
Conley's conviction followed a guilty plea.[2][3] In her plea agreement she said she would divulge information about her online contacts.
Judge Raymond P. Moore acknowledged that Conley actions seemed to have been triggered by a mental health issue, but felt the need to deter others required a stiff sentence.[2]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 AnneClaire Stapleton, Steve Almasy (2014-07-03). "Colorado woman accused of trying to help ISIS". CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2014/07/02/justice/colorado-woman-arrested-isis/index.html. Retrieved 2019-02-22. "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."
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Michael Martinez, Ana Cabrera and Sara Weisfeldt (2015-01-24). "Colorado woman gets 4 years for wanting to join ISIS". CNN (Denver, CO). https://www.cnn.com/2015/01/23/us/colorado-woman-isis-sentencing/index.html. Retrieved 2019-02-22. "Shannon Maureen Conley is one of the first Americans to be sentenced for conspiracy to support ISIS and received a sentence that was also recommended by prosecutors seeking to send a message of deterrence. Though the judge initially cited how Conley needs psychiatric care, he sided with prosecutors in the end."
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Kirk Mitchell (2015-01-22). "Arvada teen jihadist “wannabe” faces sentencing Friday". Denver Post. https://www.denverpost.com/2015/01/22/arvada-teen-jihadist-wannabe-faces-sentencing-friday/. Retrieved 2019-02-22.
