Overview

Mississippi resident Jaelyn Young is a U.S. citizen and convicted ISIS sympathizer. She was was arrested in August 2015 after allegedly attempting to join ISIS travel to ISIS-controlled territory with her fiancé, Muhammad Dakhlalla.Richard Fausset, “Young Mississippi Couple Linked to ISIS, Perplexing All,” August 14, 2015, New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/15/us/disbelief-in-mississippi-at-how-far-isis-message-can-travel.html?_r=0. According to U.S. authorities, the pair engaged in numerous conversations on social media sites with FBI agents disguised as ISIS recruiters.“United States of America v. Jaelyn Delshaun Young and Muhammada Oda Dakhlalla,” United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi, May 21, 2015, http://www.justice.gov/opa/file/705906/download. Young and Dakhlalla communicated with these agents from May 2015 until their arrest on August 8, 2015.“United States of America v. Jaelyn Delshaun Young and Muhammada Oda Dakhlalla,” United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi, May 21, 2015, http://www.justice.gov/opa/file/705906/download. Dakhlalla pled guilty to terrorism related charges on March 11,2016. Later that month, on March 29, Young followed suit and pled guilty to conspiring to provide material support to a terrorist organization.Associated Press, “Mississippi man pleads guilty in ISIS aid case,” CBS News, March 11, 2016, http://www.cbsnews.com/news/mississippi-man-pleads-guilty-in-isis-aid-case/;
“Mississippi woman who tried to join ISIS pleads guilty,” CBS News, http://www.cbsnews.com/news/jaelyn-young-mississippi-woman-who-tried-to-join-isis-pleads-guilty/. A U.S. district judge sentenced Young to 12 years in prison on August 11, 2016.Jeff Amy, “Mississippi woman gets 12-year sentence on terrorism charge,” Associated Press, August 11, 2016, http://bigstory.ap.org/article/383e88cda66c44b6a66c9536a9eb0bbf/mississippi-woman-be-sentenced-terrorism-charges. Young reportedly broke down in sobs at her sentencing, and said that she was ashamed of her actions.Associated Press, “Jaelyn Young, Mississippi woman who tried to join ISIS, gets 12 years in prison,” Al.com, August 11, 2016, http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2016/08/jaelyn_young_mississippi_woman_1.html.

Young expressed her desire to join and assist ISIS on numerous occasions during the FBI investigation. In correspondences with the FBI agents, Young said that she could not “wait to get to Dawlah [ISIS-controlled territory],” so she could be “amongst brothers and sisters under the protection of Allah and to raise little Dawlah cubs in sha Allah.”“United States of America v. Jaelyn Delshaun Young and Muhammada Oda Dakhlalla,” United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi, May 21, 2015, http://www.justice.gov/opa/file/705906/download. She cited that the U.S. has a “thick cloud of falsehoods and very little truth about Dawlah makes it through.”Jeff Amy, “No Bail for Couple Accused of Trying to Join Islamic State,” Associated Press, August 11, 2015, http://bigstory.ap.org/article/0603eac522484178a462982f3d07d2d6/mississippians-charged-trying-join-islamic-state.

Young offered ISIS her services, stating that she was “skilled at math and chemistry,” and that Dakhlalla was “good at computer science/media.”Marie Andrusewicz, “Mississippi Couple Accused Of Trying To Join ISIS,” National Public Radio, August 12, 2015, Washington Post, http://www.npr.org/2015/08/12/431803342/mississippi-couple-arrested-for-attempting-to-join-isis.

According to authorities, Young and Dakhlalla meticulously planned their trip to Syria to join ISIS, which involved travelling from Mississippi to Turkey, and then onto Syria.“United States of America v. Jaelyn Delshaun Young and Muhammada Oda Dakhlalla,” United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi, May 21, 2015, http://www.justice.gov/opa/file/705906/download. Jeff Amy, “No Bail for Couple Accused of Trying to Join Islamic State,” Associated Press, August 11, 2015, http://bigstory.ap.org/article/0603eac522484178a462982f3d07d2d6/mississippians-charged-trying-join-islamic-state. Young even planned the kind of clothing she would wear, so she would be instantly recognizable to the recruiters who she believed would assist her in crossing over into Syria.“United States of America v. Jaelyn Delshaun Young and Muhammada Oda Dakhlalla,” United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi, May 21, 2015, http://www.justice.gov/opa/file/705906/download.

The day before their arrest, Young and Dakhlalla purchased airline tickets for Delta Airlines flight 5703, which departed from Columbus, Mississippi, with a final destination of Istanbul, Turkey.Chris Thies, “Timeline of events leading to the arrest of alleged ISIS recruits,” KMOV St Louis, August 13, 2015, http://www.kmov.com/story/29784129/timeline-of-events-leading-to-the-arrest-of-alleged-isis-recruits. On August 8, they were stopped and arrested at Golden Triangle Regional Airport in Columbus.Chris Thies, “Timeline of events leading to the arrest of alleged ISIS recruits,” KMOV St Louis, August 13, 2015, http://www.kmov.com/story/29784129/timeline-of-events-leading-to-the-arrest-of-alleged-isis-recruits.

On August 11, 2015, a federal magistrate in Mississippi ordered that Young and Dakhlalla be held without bail.Jeff Amy, “No Bail for Couple Accused of Trying to Join Islamic State,” Associated Press, August 11, 2015, http://bigstory.ap.org/article/0603eac522484178a462982f3d07d2d6/mississippians-charged-trying-join-islamic-state. The pair was charged with attempting and conspiring to knowingly provide material support and resources to a foreign terrorist organization.Richard Fausset, “Young Mississippi Couple Linked to ISIS, Perplexing All,” August 14, 2015, New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/15/us/disbelief-in-mississippi-at-how-far-isis-message-can-travel.html?_r=0.

Young is the daughter of a police officer and Navy veteran in the Vicksburg, Mississippi Police Department. She was an honor student in high school and a chemistry major at Mississippi State University.Richard Fausset, “Young Mississippi Couple Linked to ISIS, Perplexing All,” August 14, 2015, New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/15/us/disbelief-in-mississippi-at-how-far-isis-message-can-travel.html?_r=0.