Colleen LaRose, the Pennsylvania woman also known as “Jihad Jane,” pleaded guilty in her terrorism case on charges of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, conspiracy to kill in a foreign country, making false statements and attempted identity theft. LaRose, 47, faces up to life in prison and a $1 million fine.
LaRose’s lawyer Mark Wilson told CNN on Friday that she planned to change her plea to guilty, and she entered the new plea today in a Philadelphia federal court.
The government said that LaRose used the Internet to recruit people for violent global Jihad, and that she planned to murder the Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks, who drew Mohammed with the body of a dog in 2007.
“Today’s guilty plea, by a woman from suburban America who plotted with others to commit murder overseas and to provide material support to terrorists, underscores the evolving nature of the threat we face,” Assistant Attorney General for National Security David Kris said in a statement. “I applaud the many agents and analysts and prosecutors who helped bring about today’s result.”
A source has told CNN that LaRose has been held in a special housing unit of a federal detention center since October 2009, and spends 23 hours a day isolated in her cell.
Eric Lach
Eric Lach is a reporter for TPM. From 2010 to 2011, he was a news writer in charge of the website’s front page. He has previously written for The Daily, NewYorker.com, GlobalPost and other publications. He can be reached at ericl(at)talkingpointsmemo.com
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