Samantha Marie Elhassani
Washington: A US woman who was captured in Syria and was married to an Islamic State sniper has been charged with providing material support to the jihadist group, the Justice Department said Thursday.
Samantha Marie Elhassani was accused of helping two unnamed Islamic State members procure tactical gear and obtain funding while in the United States in 2014 and after she had traveled to Syria in 2015.
She faces two counts of aiding the extremist group, according to an indictment filed late Wednesday.
She was one of two Americans who were captured in Syria and transferred back to the United States in July to stand trial.
Elhassani, nee Samantha Sally, 32, has told US media she was tricked into traveling to the Syrian warzone by her husband Moussa Elhassani, an Islamic State supporter, and then stayed with him to protect her children.
She said he changed from a loving to a tough and violent man once they arrived in Syria.
"I was like a prisoner," she told CNN in an interview in April.
Her son appeared in IS propaganda videos and her husband was killed in a drone strike, according to reports.
