'Jihad Jane' expected to plead guilty in terrorist case

Posted: January 29, 2011

The woman who called herself "Jihad Jane" and who federal prosecutors say is a would-be terrorist has had a change of heart.

Her attorney confirmed yesterday that the woman, Colleen R. LaRose, plans to enter a guilty plea in federal district court here on Tuesday.

Defense attorney Mark Wilson said LaRose, 47, formerly of Pennsburg, Montgomery County, will plead guilty to all four charges against her.

The charges include conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, lying to the FBI, conspiracy to kill in a foreign country (for allegedly plotting to kill a Swedish cartoonist who depicted the prophet Mohammed as a dog) and attempted identity theft (for allegedly stealing her ex-boyfriend's passport).

LaRose pleaded not guilty to all charges last March.

It is unclear whether LaRose, who has also called herself Fatima LaRose, is cooperating with federal prosecutors.

"The option of pleading guilty was presented to her a while ago, and there have been lots of discussions," Wilson said. He declined to further comment.

LaRose would have reason to cooperate, in part, to reduce a potential life sentence in prison and a $1 million fine.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Williams was unavailable for comment yesterday.

LaRose, who has been in federal custody since her arrest in October 2009, allegedly recruited terrorists, tried to get Western women to marry them so that jihadists could get passports, solicited money for terrorists and visited terror websites from June 2008 to October 2009.

LaRose was arrested at Philadelphia International Airport upon returning from a meeting with alleged co-conspirators in Ireland.

The arrest was kept under wraps until seven alleged co-conspirators in Ireland were arrested last March in connection with a plot to kill the artist, Lars Vilks.

One of the seven was another American woman, Jamie Paulin-Ramirez, dubbed "Jihad Jamie," of Leadville, Colo. (Prosecutors have alleged LaRose invited Paulin-Ramirez to join her in Europe in September 2009 to attend a jihadist training camp.)

She was allegedly recruited to marry an Algerian Muslim, Charafe Damache, the suspected ringleader.

Paulin-Ramirez, 32, was freed by Irish authorities last March and arrested upon her return to the U.S. last April.

She was subsequently charged with conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists and pleaded not guilty.

Her attorney, Jeremy H.G. Ibrahim, declined to comment on yesterday's developments. Paulin-Ramirez has a trial date scheduled for May 2.

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