Feb. 10--A federal judge in Chicago ordered a west suburban woman held in custody Tuesday pending her transfer to St. Louis to face charges she sent money and supplies to terrorist fighters overseas.
In denying bond for Mediha Medy Salkicevic, U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Cole said he found it "very troubling" that she allegedly expressed satisfaction that two sniper rifle scopes she and her co-defendants had purchased would soon be used on the battlefield. Cole said the charges were "as serious as they come."
Salkicevic, 34, of Schiller Park, was charged in an indictment unsealed Friday in St. Louis with conspiring to provide material support and resources to terrorists and providing material support to terrorists, including Islamic State and al-Qaida in Iraq.
Her attorney, Andrea Gambino, had sought bond for Salkicevic, a Bosnia native her lawyer described as a dedicated mother of four who has no criminal record and no reason to flee.
Instead, Salkicevic will be held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center until she is moved to St. Louis by U.S. deputy marshals to face arraignment.
Wearing an orange jumpsuit and black hijab, Salkicevic appeared more subdued in court Tuesday than she had in previous appearances. On Monday, she had grinned broadly and put her fist in the air, then mimed to family members in the courtroom gallery to hold their chins up and not to cry. At the conclusion of the hearing Tuesday, she craned her neck to look for relatives as she was led out of Cole's courtroom but made no gestures to them.
The conspiracy began in May 2013, with Salkicevic using email, phones and social media websites such as Facebook to communicate using code words like "brothers," "lions" and "Bosnian brothers," the charges alleged. Five others, including a woman from Rockford, were also indicted.
Salkicevic transferred money on multiple occasions to a co-defendant in St. Louis, the charges alleged. Prosecutors said the money was then sent to fighters in Syria, Iraq and elsewhere.
jmeisner@tribpub.com
Twitter @jmetr22b
