Shannon Maureen Conley

Shannon Maureen Conley is an American citizen and attempted foreign fighter for ISIS. The FBI arrested Conley on April 8, 2014, at the Denver airport after purchasing a one-way flight to Turkey via Frankfurt, Germany.Ed Mazza, “Shannon Maureen Conley, Colorado Woman, Arrested on Terror Charges,” Huffington Post, July 2, 2014, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/02/shannon-maureen-conley-arrested-isis_n_5553622.html. Conley allegedly sought to travel to Syria to marry a Tunisian ISIS fighter she met online.Ed Mazza, “Shannon Maureen Conley, Colorado Woman, Arrested on Terror Charges,” Huffington Post, July 2, 2014, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/02/shannon-maureen-conley-arrested-isis_n_5553622.html.

In November 2013, federal authorities were alerted to Conley’s suspicious behavior outside the Faith Bible Chapel in Arvada, Colorado, where she allegedly appeared taking notes on numerous days.Jenny Deam, “Colorado woman’s quest for jihad baffles neighbors,” Los Angeles Times, July 25, 2014, http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-high-school-jihadi-20140726-story.html#page=1. According to court documents, the FBI visited her and her family on various occasions in an attempt to dissuade her from joining ISIS.Jenny Deam, “Colorado woman’s quest for jihad baffles neighbors,” Los Angeles Times, July 25, 2014, http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-high-school-jihadi-20140726-story.html#page=1.

In January 2015, Conley pled guilty to the charges and received a four year prison sentence.Michael Martinez, Ana Cabrera, and Sara Weisfeldt, “Colorado woman gets 4 years for wanting to join ISIS,” CNN, January 24, 2015, http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/23/us/colorado-woman-isis-sentencing/.

Also Known As

Extremist entity
ISIS
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Type(s) of Organization:
Insurgent, territory-controlling, religious, terrorist, violent
Ideologies and Affiliations:
Islamist, jihadist, pan-Islamist, Salafist, takfiri
Position(s):
Foreign fighter

ISIS is a violent jihadist group based in Iraq and Syria. The group has declared wilayas (provinces) in Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the North Caucasus. ISIS has also waged attacks in Turkey, Lebanon, France, Belgium, Iraq, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Tunisia, and Kuwait.

  • Rhetoric

2014

In reference to signing up for the U.S. Army Explorers, a career program involving weapons training: “[I will] use that training to go overseas to wage jihad.”Jenny Deam, “Colorado woman’s quest for jihad baffles neighbors,” Los Angeles Times, July 25, 2014, http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-high-school-jihadi-20140726-story.html#page=1.

2014

“[I am determined to defend] Muslims on the Muslim homeland against people who are trying to kill them.”Jenny Deam, “Colorado woman’s quest for jihad baffles neighbors,” Los Angeles Times, July 25, 2014, http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-high-school-jihadi-20140726-story.html#page=1.

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Extremists: Their Words. Their Actions.

Fact:

On October 7, 2023, Hamas invaded southern Israel where, in the space of eight hours, hundreds of armed terrorists perpetrated mass crimes of brutality, rape, and torture against men, women and children. In the biggest attack on Jewish life in a single day since the Holocaust, 1,200 were killed, and 251 were taken hostage into Gaza—where 101 remain. One year on, antisemitic incidents have increased by record numbers. 

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