Alexandria, Va. – A U.S. citizen was sentenced to 20 years in prison today in the Eastern District of Virginia for organizing and leading an all-female military battalion in Syria on behalf of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization.
According to court documents, Allison Fluke-Ekren, aka ‘Allison Ekren,’ aka ‘Umm Mohammed al-Amriki,’ and aka ‘Umm Mohammed,’ 42, a former resident of Kansas, traveled overseas and, from in or about September 2011 through in or about May 2019, engaged in terrorist acts in multiple countries, including Syria, Libya, and Iraq.
Fluke-Ekren ultimately served as the leader and organizer of an ISIS military battalion, known as the Khatiba Nusaybah, where she trained women on the use of automatic firing AK-47 assault rifles, grenades, and suicide belts. Over 100 women and young girls, some as young as 10-years-old, received military training from Fluke-Ekren in Syria on behalf of ISIS.
During the sentencing hearing, the Court incorporated into the record two separate letters submitted by Fluke-Ekren’s adult daughter and adult son, both of whom wrote about being abused by Fluke-Ekren, beginning in Kansas and continuing overseas when they were minors.
The government also played audio recordings of January 2021 phone conversations between Fluke-Ekren and her daughter, where she instructed her to delete messages shared between them to ensure Fluke-Ekren could continue to evade capture in Syria, and encouraged her daughter to leave the U.S. and return to Syria.
Additionally, Fluke-Ekren’s adult daughter delivered a victim impact statement in court today describing the severe abuse that Fluke-Ekren inflicted upon her in Syria, including coercing her to marry an ISIS fighter, who then raped her, when she was only 13 years old.
Fluke-Ekren’s adult son also delivered a statement in court describing attempts by Fluke-Ekren to convince him to leave the U.S. and travel to Syria to prevent him from approaching authorities with any information that could compromise her.
In or around 2008, Fluke-Ekren departed the United States and moved to Egypt with her second husband, a now-deceased former member of the terrorist organization Ansar al-Sharia.
Fluke-Ekren resided in Egypt until in or around 2011, at which point she moved to Libya. Near the end of 2011, Fluke-Ekren resided with her second husband, among others, in Benghazi, Libya.
In the aftermath of the September 11, 2012 terrorist attack on the U.S. Special Mission and CIA Annex in Benghazi, Fluke-Ekren’s second husband claimed that he removed at least one box of documents and at least one electronic device from the U.S. compound in Benghazi.
He brought the items to the residence where he resided with Fluke-Ekren and others at that time. Fluke-Ekren assisted her second husband with reviewing and summarizing the contents of the stolen U.S. government documents.
The stolen documents and electronic device, along with the summaries that Fluke-Ekren helped prepare, were provided to the leadership of Ansar al-Sharia in Benghazi.
In or around late 2012, Fluke-Ekren, her second husband, and others traveled from Libya to Turkey. Shortly thereafter, they traveled from Turkey to Syria.
After approximately six weeks, Fluke-Ekren returned to Turkey while her second husband remained in Syria.
Fluke-Ekren’s second husband ascended through the ranks of ISIS and ultimately became the ’emir’ (leader) of ISIS snipers in Syria.
In or around mid-2014, Fluke-Ekren and others were smuggled back into Syria.
While residing in Syria, Fluke-Ekren told a witness about her desire to conduct an attack in the United States.
To conduct the attack, Fluke-Ekren explained that she could go to a shopping mall in the United States, park a vehicle full of explosives in the basement or parking garage level of the structure, and detonate the explosives in the vehicle with a cell phone triggering device.
Defendant: Allison Fluke-Ekren, a U.S. citizen
Criminal Charges: Organizing and leading an all-female military battalion in Syria on behalf of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS)
City and State: Alexandria, Virginia
Exact Date: n/a
Sentence or Outcome: 20 years in prison
Dollar Amounts: n/a
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Key Facts
- State: Virginia
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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