A woman from Squamish, B.C., who married an ISIS fighter and moved to Syria over a decade ago has pleaded guilty to a terrorism charge.
Kimberly Polman spent nearly four years in a Syrian detention camp before she was repatriated to Canada in 2022.
In 2024, she was charged with “leaving Canada to participate in the activity of a terrorist group” and “participation in the activity of a terrorist group.”
On Thursday, she pleaded guilty to the first charge, one month before her trial was set to begin.
The maximum sentence for such a terrorism offence is 10 years in prison.
Her legal team told CTV News in an email that her plea meant she was taking responsibility for her actions in 2015, when she left Canada to join her husband whom she met online.
Polman was arrested by Kurdish fighters on suspicion of being involved with ISIS in 2019, and was detained in a Syrian Democratic Forces camp with other alleged wives, widows and children of ISIS members.
“It has been a long road since then to get to this point. She has the support of her family and other community resources, and expects to proceed with the sentencing process later this year,” the email reads.
Polman has been the subject of a terrorism peace bond since November 2023. During the hearing, her family provided a statement to CTV News that described her as “co-operative with all authority,” “compliant” and “respectful.”
Her family said Polman is no longer associated with ISIS and believes she is a target of the terrorist group and fears for her life.
With files from CTV News Vancouver’s Ian Holliday and Kevin Charach
