(Ken Silva, Headline USA) The popular craft retailer JoAnn Fabrics is going out of business, and crafters around the country are flocking to their local store to “panic shop” before its doors close for good.
Apparently, the deals at JoAnn are so good that an alleged ISIS fighter asked a judge to modify the conditions of her house arrest so she could go shopping.
“Ms. Salman spends much of home incarceration creating crocheted items, a hobby shared by her family members. Her local JoAnn Fabrics store is closing,” said a letter earlier this month from Halima Salman, who was caught in Syria by forces fighting ISIS in 2019.
“Ms. Salman would like to go to the JoAnn Fabrics store in Belmont, New Hampshire, on a date and time to be set by Pretrial Services, to shop for yarn before the store goes out of business. She would be accompanied by her mother and grandmother,” said the letter to U.S. District Judge Natasha Merle.
A woman who was trained by ISIS in Syria asked a U.S. judge earlier this month to modify conditions of her house arrest, so that she can attend a Joann Fabrics bankruptcy sale.
The Biden-appointed judge denied that request, but allowed the alleged ISIS fighter to attend a crafts… pic.twitter.com/JdMZnjMOkd— Ken Silva (@JD_Cashless) March 19, 2025
The Justice Department opposed Salman’s request.
“These requests are excessive and unnecessary under the terms of home incarceration—they are not an attorney visit, court appearance, or necessary medical treatment,” prosecutors said in response to the request, reminding the judge that Salman “sought out training after she turned 18 years old and after marrying an ISIS fighter.”
Judge Merle sided with the DOJ on the JoAnn Fabrics issue. However, the judge has allowed Salman to attend a crafts fair from April 5-12. Salman was also allowed to attend an additional hour of her GED class, and to enroll in an early childhood development course, as per the judge’s March 7 order.
The Biden-appointed judge previously allowed Salman to attend another crafts fair last November.
According to the DOJ’s criminal complaint, Salman received training regarding the handling and operation of an AK-47 in Syria around March 2018, when she was 17. She had travelled from New York to Turkey, and entered Syria from there. She was captured by forces fighting ISIS in 2019, charging documents state.
Salman was interviewed by the FBI in Syria in November 2023, when she told agents that she did not attend any type of training, never owned a weapon, and was never involved in any ISIS activities.
Salman and 10 other Americans, including five minors, were repatriated to the U.S. from Syria last year, and Salman was released on $500,000 bond after being charged with receiving military-type training from a foreign terrorist organization—a crime that carries up to a 10-year prison sentence.
Meanwhile, JoAnn said last month that the dates for store closures or changes to the website will be posted as soon as possible, and it said it expects it will take a “number of weeks to complete our final sales.”
Joann previously sought Chapter 11 in March 2024 and later emerged as a private company. But after operational challenges continued to pile up, Joann filed for bankruptcy again in January.
“Joann leadership, our board, advisors and legal partners made every possible effort to pursue a more favorable outcome that would keep the company in business,” Joann said in a statement posted on its website. “We are committed to working constructively with the winning bidder to ensure an orderly wind-down of operations that minimizes the impact on all our stakeholders.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Ken Silva is the editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/jd_cashless.
