Tim is sleeping, I'm taking over ;)
QuoteAmerican 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 (http://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-na-jihad-jane10-2010mar10,0,3186025.story)
Despicable! :mad:
Awesome nickname.
Glad the bitch was caught.
I'm awake, it's 2:20 pm here.
Formatting fail.
Seven arrested in plot to kill Swedish artist:
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2010/0310/breaking10.html
QuoteSeven 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.
Quote from: Cerr on March 10, 2010, 03:45:47 AM
Quote[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?
It's bizarre how much weird news comes out of the county I grew up in or one of the neighboring counties. :huh:
Swedish Cartoonist with saferoom and insert of Jihad Jane
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fstatic01.vg.no%2Fdrfront%2Fimages%2F2010-03%2F10%2F86-13da6218-c1293532.jpeg&hash=df5f3d51aae496279a11216ebbded98ad48aad90)
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nettavisen.no%2Fimagecache%2Fparameter%2F%3Fupsizable%3Dtrue%26amp%3Baction-resize%26amp%3Bwidth%3D720%26amp%3Bheight%3D-1%26amp%3Burl%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fpub.tv2.no%2Fmultimedia%2Fna%2Farchive%2F00759%2FLars_Vilks_BNC_L_75920516x9.jpg&hash=586277b6d3a97724d840fb4739526567e48983f7)
Quote from: jimmy olsen on March 10, 2010, 12:19:50 AM
I'm awake, it's 2:20 pm here.
I was just surprised you never posted this before :)
2:20? Where are you now?
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...
Quote from: viper37 on March 10, 2010, 08:58:43 AM
Quote from: jimmy olsen on March 10, 2010, 12:19:50 AM
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.
Quote from: Martim Silva on March 10, 2010, 09:05:18 AM
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.
Quote from: Razgovory on March 10, 2010, 05:57:41 PM
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.
Quote from: Razgovory
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.
Quote from: grumbler
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).
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
A woman who enjoys being a slave... Just put a bullet through her already!
G.
Quotesaid 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.
The FBI reads YouTube comments? I pity the poor soul who has that job.
Quote from: Zanza on March 10, 2010, 09:30:45 PM
The FBI reads YouTube comments? I pity the poor soul who has that job.
Filtered by computer. Phoenix if I remember the name correctly.
Quote from: Admiral Yi on March 10, 2010, 09:35:44 PM
Quote from: Zanza on March 10, 2010, 09:30:45 PM
The FBI reads YouTube comments? I pity the poor soul who has that job.
Filtered by computer. Phoenix if I remember the name correctly.
Phoenix was the Vietnam assassination program. Carnivore was (at least at one point) the name of the FBI web/email monitoring software.
If the quotations from the indictment are illustrative, this is not exactly an overwhelming case.
And the Swedish artist is an offensive jackass.
Are asses unpleasant?