B.C. woman allegedly trained by ISIS charged with terrorism
Global News
Kimberly Polman was captured in Syria during the fight against ISIS.
A British Columbia woman caught in Syria during the war against ISIS has been charged with terrorism offenses, the RCMP said on Saturday.
Kimberly Polman faces charges of leaving Canada to participate in a terrorist group as well as participation in the activities of a terrorist group.
She appeared in court in Vancouver on Saturday morning and was scheduled to return on Aug. 2.
The resident of Squamish, B.C. was among dozens of Canadian women who flocked to ISIS-held territory when the terrorist group held parts of Syria.
The mother of three was captured by U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters in 2019, and returned home to Canada in 2022, but she was not charged until now.
Polman has depicted herself as a victim who naively married an ISIS fighter she met online, but the RCMP alleged she was committed to the group.
According to an RCMP report, Polman was part of the all-female ISIS battalion, Nusaybah Katibah, which provided weapons training to women.
In addition to belonging to the women’s fighting group, Polman was an informant for the ISIS secret police, known as the Emni, the RCMP alleged.