Terrorism charges for B.C. woman who left to join ISIS: RCMP

A B.C. woman has been charged with terrorism-related offences for travelling to Syria to join ISIS, police say. 

RCMP arrested Kimberly Polman on Friday, according to a Saturday news release.

It says the 51-year-old woman is facing one charge of leaving the country to participate in the activity of a terrorist group, and one charge of participating in the activity of a terrorist group.

Her next court appearance will be on Aug. 2 in Vancouver Provincial Court, the release added.

Police say the charges against Polman come from an ongoing investigation into allegations that she travelled to Syria in 2015 to join ISIS. 

Previous court proceedings revealed Polman travelled to the war-torn country in 2015 after marrying an ISIS fighter online, and the B.C. woman has said she was in a "terrible place" at the time.

In October 2022, the B.C. woman was repatriated to Canada and arrested on her arrival after spending three years at the al-Roj detention camp for families of ISIS fighters in northern Syria, who were fighting to establish an Islamist state there.

She has been under a terrorism peace bond since November 2023, which is a protection order made by a provincial court when it decides there are reasonable grounds someone may commit a terrorism offence.

Chilliwack provincial court Judge Kristen Mundstock said, at the time of issuing the peace bond, that Polman must follow several conditions while under bond.

Those included reporting to a parole officer, remaining at a Squamish, B.C., address, wearing electronic supervision equipment and not leaving the province.

The order also includes conditions that Polman have no contact with several people, including her ex-husband, that she have no access to driving a vehicle except an electronic bike and that she not communicate with anyone suspected to be involved in terrorism.

Ottawa-based human rights lawyer Lawrence Greenspon, who previously represented Polman and other women repatriated from a Syrian detention camp, expressed shock at the RCMP's charges against Polman.

"Polman has been in Canada for almost two years now and she's been under ... very strict conditions," he told CBC News. "To my knowledge, she's not violated any of the conditions.

"So why would you all of a sudden after two years of her being in the country, lay these criminal charges?

Greenspon said the conditions of the peace bond have been "particularly difficult" for the B.C. woman. 

"She's been getting counselling, she's been getting therapy, she's been doing whatever she can to try and and integrate back into Canadian lifestyle," the human rights lawyer added. 

Polman is now being represented by another criminal defence lawyer. CBC News has reached out to him for this story.

Oumaima Chouay, who returned to Canada from the detention camp at the same time as Polman, was granted bail in January in Quebec after being charged with leaving the country to participate in the activity of a terrorist group, providing property or services for terrorism purposes and conspiracy to participate in the activity of a terrorist group.

The return of Polman and Chouay was organized by Global Affairs Canada, with assistance from the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria and the United States.

Another four Canadian women and 10 children landed in Montreal in April after being held for years at a prison camp in Syria. Three of the women were arrested upon arrival, while the fourth was not detained.