Jihad Jane indicted

[viper37]

Tim is sleeping, I'm taking over

American Colleen R. LaRose, 46, is accused of using the Internet to  recruit and assist Muslim terrorist operations in Europe and Asia.

Using e-mail, YouTube videos, phony travel documents and a  burning desire to kill "or die trying," a middle-aged American woman  from Pennsylvania helped recruit a network for suicide attacks and other  terrorist strikes in Europe and Asia, according to a federal grand jury  indictment unsealed Tuesday.

Colleen R. LaRose, who dubbed herself "Jihad Jane," was so intent on  waging jihad, authorities said, that she traveled to Sweden to kill an  artist in a way that would frighten "the whole Kufar [nonbeliever]  world."

  With blond hair and green eyes, the 46-year-old woman bragged that she  could go anywhere undetected, allegedly boasting in one e-mail that it  was "an honour & great pleasure to die or kill for" jihad.

"Only death will stop me here that I am so close to the target!" she  boasted.

She did not kill the artist, however.

Authorities said LaRose solicited funds for terrorist organizations,  helped arrange phony passports and other travel records, and used the  Internet to recruit women to kill in Europe and men in Asia. LaRose was  arrested Oct. 15 in Philadelphia, and the indictment against her was  unsealed Tuesday.

Federal officials held her up as an example of how terrorists sometimes  boldly operate inside the United States, fearless of the world watching  them on the Internet.

"A woman from suburban America agreed to carry out murder overseas and  to provide material support to terrorists," said David Kris, assistant  attorney general for the Justice Department's National Security  Division. That, he emphasized, "underscores the evolving nature of the  threat we face."

Michael L. Levy, the U.S. attorney in Philadelphia, said the case shows  "the use terrorists can and do make" of communicating through e-mails  and videos around the world." He called LaRose "yet another very real  danger lurking on the Internet."

The other danger, authorities said, is that radical jihadists are  increasingly turning to homegrown U.S. citizens to carry out their  plots. "Terrorists are looking for Americans to join them in their  cause," Levy said, adding that LaRose "shatters any lingering thought  that we can spot a terrorist based on appearance."

But her alleged motivation was not completely clear Tuesday night.

"She appeared to be one of those people who spend a lot of time online  and go to all these radical websites and chat rooms," one source said.

"If there was some moment in her life that changed her, I don't know,"  another said.

Officials said she began to respond to Internet requests from  conspirators abroad and to take a leading role in ongoing plots. They  said she stole one person's U.S. passport and "transferred or attempted  to transfer it in an effort to facilitate an act of international  terrorism."

The indictment, which also mentioned but did not identify five  unindicted co-conspirators, said that LaRose first came to the attention  of the FBI in June 2008 when she posted a comment on YouTube under the  user name "Jihad Jane." She stated that she was "desperate to do  something somehow to help" the suffering Muslim people.

By December of that year, she was allegedly e-mailing one of the  conspirators of her desire to become a "shahed," or martyr.

A second conspirator e-mailed her in January 2009 about a similar  commitment for Allah. "I tried twice but I wasn't successful . . . [but]  I will . . . try until Allah will m[a]ke it easy for me," the  conspirator told LaRose.

By February 2009, LaRose was reportedly telling one of the conspirators  that her physical appearance would allow her to "blend in with many  people," which "may be a way to achieve what is in my heart."

In March, a third conspirator in Asia invited LaRose to "come here and  get the training" so that they can "deal in bombs and explosives  effecti[v]ely." The conspirator told LaRose that she was special because  she could "get access to many places" because of her nationality.

One conspirator asked LaRose: "Marry me to get me inside Europe." She  reportedly agreed.

She also e-mailed the Swedish Embassy, asking for instructions on  acquiring permanent residency there. As one collaborator told her: "Go  to Sweden . . . find location [of an unidentified Swedish resident] . . .  and kill him . . . that is what I say to u."

LaRose allegedly agreed. "I will make this my goal till I achieve it or  die trying," she e-mailed back. "I agree that it is good I blend in."

The indictment said LaRose also was involved in soliciting "urgent funds  for sisters" overseas. By August of last year, she seemed intent on  putting plans into action, according to the indictment. "I will be away  from here in a couple days. . . . Then . . . I will get to work on  importan[t] matters."

Authorities said she removed and concealed her computer hard drive in  her home in Pennsburg, Pa., a rural spot between Philadelphia and  Allentown. She left the U.S. for Europe and joined an online community  hosted by the Swedish resident she was targeting. She also became a  "citizen" of the resident's artists' enclave.

If convicted of the charges against her, LaRose could face life in  prison and a $1 million fine.

Other women caught up in terrorism cases in this country include Lynn  Stewart, a New York attorney convicted in 2005 for passing prison  messages from a radical sheik to his followers on the outside urging  violent attacks. And last month Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani woman who  lived in Boston but was not a U.S. citizen, was convicted in New York of  attempting to kill U.S. military and law enforcement officials.[/b]

Link

[HisMajestyBOB]

Despicable! 

[jimmy olsen]

Awesome nickname.

Glad the bitch was caught.

I'm awake, it's 2:20 pm here.

[Martinus]

Formatting fail.

[Cerr]

Seven arrested in plot to kill Swedish artist:

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2010/0310/breaking10.html

Seven held over murder conspiracy

CONOR LALLY, Crime Correspondent

Gardaí are today continuing to question seven people as part of an international investigation into an alleged plot to kill a Swedish artist who produced a series of sketches depicting the Prophet Muhammad with the body of a dog.

The suspects, four men and three women, are being held at Garda stations in counties Waterford and Kilkenny.

They were arrested during a major search operation at 10 addresses in Waterford and Cork yesterday morning.

Detectives in Ireland have been working on the case since late last year with their counterparts in the US and Europe, including Sweden.

Those arrested yesterday are from Algeria, Croatia, Palestine, Libya and the US. They are aged in their mid-20s to late-40s.

The Irish Times  understands the suspects were taken into custody on the basis of information supplied to the Garda by the FBI that came to light after surveillance of the suspects’ communications, including e-mails.

The US investigators believe the alleged leader of the group is one of the Algerian men. He has been living in Ireland for the past decade.

Lars Vilks, the artist at the centre of the alleged murder conspiracy, was put under police protection in 2007 after his drawings prompted al-Qaeda to put a $100,000 bounty on his head.

The sketches, originally produced for exhibition, were later published by Swedish newspaper Nerikes Allehanda, to accompany an editorial criticising galleries in Sweden for refusing to show them.

Muslims in countries such as Pakistan and Iran reacted with fury to the images, which were considered particularly offensive as dogs are viewed as unclean by many Muslims.

The newspaper editorial defended “Muslims’ right to freedom of religion” but argued it should not impinge on the right to “ridicule Islam’s foremost symbols – just like all other religions’ symbols”.

The publication in Denmark of cartoons lampooning Muhammad, including one depicting him wearing a turban shaped as a bomb, provoked violent protests in several countries in 2006.

The Swedish artist told the Associated Press he believed that the arrests in Ireland were linked to two death threats he received by telephone in January.

The threats came from “a Swedish-speaking Somali”, said Mr Vilks, who is currently resident in Sweden. Garda sources said the arrests carried out here related to a plan to kill Mr Vilks in his native Sweden.

“At no time has anyone in this country ever been under threat,” said one Garda source.

A group of more than 60 gardaí from Waterford and Cork were involved in yesterday’s searches of residential and business premises. They were backed by members of specialist Dublin-based Garda units including the anti-terrorism Special Detective Unit.

The premises raided were in Waterford city and Tramore and in Ballincollig, Co Cork. Computers, mobile phones, discs and documents were taken away for analysis.

However, no firearms or explosives or any other hazardous material was found. It is not known how far the alleged assassination plot had progressed.

Garda sources who spoke to The Irish Times  said none of those arrested has any known links to al-Qaeda or any other militant group.

The suspects are being detained under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act at Garda stations in Waterford, Tramore, Dungarvan and Thomastown in Kilkenny. They can be held for up to seven days without charge.

[Vricklund]

[snip]Lars Vilks, the artist at the centre of the alleged murder conspiracy, was put under police protection in 2007 after his drawings prompted al-Qaeda to put a $100,000 bounty on his head.[/snip]

Hmm, how DO you cash in on a bounty like that? Is there some kind of al-qaeda hot line you can call to claim it?

[Caliga]

It's bizarre how much weird news comes out of the county I grew up in or one of the neighboring counties. 

[Viking]

Swedish Cartoonist with saferoom and insert of Jihad Jane

[viper37]

I'm awake, it's 2:20 pm here.

I was just surprised you never posted this before

2:20?  Where are you now?

[Martim Silva]

They're only showing it because she's a blonde with blue eyes. If she was a more normal person, they wouldn't even publish her photo.

And the cartoonist really shouldn't have shown where his secret room is. Besides, he only has an axe...

[jimmy olsen]

I'm awake, it's 2:20 pm here.

I was just surprised you never posted this before

2:20?  Where are you now?

South Korea, read the teaching English abroad thread for reference.

[Razgovory]

They're only showing it because she's a blonde with blue eyes. If she was a more normal person, they wouldn't even publish her photo.

And the cartoonist really shouldn't have shown where his secret room is. Besides, he only has an axe...

I had no idea that blond and blue eyed are less normal.

[grumbler]

I had no idea that blond and blue eyed are less normal.

You have to remember that Martim, while an international jetsetter and pals with political elites in the Middle East and the Former Soviet Union, still dreams in black and white, and so those adventures don't feature blue-eyed blonds, as far as he knows.

[Martim Silva]

I had no idea that blond and blue eyed are less normal.

Over here, they are, shall we say, far less than the norm.

I really wonder what you people would think of me if you saw me... come to think about it, there isn't any noticeable physical difference between me and the people from the Middle East/Arabia that I know... except that some of them have lighter skin than me.

You have to remember that Martim, while an international jetsetter and pals with political elites in the Middle East and the Former Soviet Union, still dreams in black and white, and so those adventures don't feature blue-eyed blonds, as far as he knows.

I really hate the 'jetsetter' thing. It sounds too elitist. And in Portugal our State TV only started to broadcast in colour in 1982 - but my family only got a colour TV in 1987.

(Come to think about it, when I was a kid I never did understood why the 'Spider Man' cartoons started by saying 'In Color'...)

That said, many Russians are blonde (though, to be honest, the majority of them aren't. Not that I mind, since I still think deep inside that blonde, pale/pinkish people look weird. Not that I'd say this to anyone in person, of course).

[jimmy olsen]

Lol, love all the quotes by her former boyfriend of 5 years in this article.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-na-jihad-jane11-2010mar11,0,3972459.story