UPDATE:
April 2, 2010
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://philadelphia.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel10/ph040210.htm
Women from Colorado and Pennsylvania Charged with Terrorism Violations in Superseding Indictment
WASHINGTON—A superseding indictment unsealed this afternoon in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania charges Jamie Paulin Ramirez, a U.S. citizen and former resident of Colorado, and Colleen R. LaRose, aka “Fatima LaRose,” aka “JihadJane,” a resident of Pennsylvania, with conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists. The superseding indictment adds Ramirez as a defendant to what was previously an indictment charging only LaRose.
The new charges were announced by David Kris, Assistant Attorney General for National Security; Michael L. Levy, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania; and Janice K. Fedarcyk, Special Agent-in-Charge of the FBI in Philadelphia.
The superseding indictment charges that LaRose and Ramirez traveled to and around Europe to participate in and in support of violent jihad. According to the superseding indictment, Ramirez exchanged e-mail messages with LaRose during the summer of 2009, in which LaRose invited Ramirez to join her in Europe to attend a “training camp.” Ramirez is charged with accepting the invitation and asking to bring along her minor male child. On Sept, 12, 2009, Ramirez traveled to Europe with her child with the intent to live and train with jihadists. The day she arrived in Europe, the indictment alleges, Ramirez married an unindicted co-conspirator whom she had never before met in person.
The superseding indictment charges Ramirez, age 31, with one count of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The charges against LaRose remain unchanged, and carry a maximum potential sentence of life in prison and a $1 million fine.
Ramirez was arrested this afternoon in Philadelphia after voluntarily flying to the United States from abroad.
This case was investigated by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force in Philadelphia, the FBI Field Division in New York, and the FBI Field Division in Denver. It is being prosecuted by Jennifer Arbittier Williams, Assistant U.S. Attorney from the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and Matthew F. Blue, Trial Attorney from the Counterterrorism Section in the Justice Department’s National Security Division.
The public is reminded that an indictment is an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Quote:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/bloggers/2490648/posts?page=10#10
Background Link with ongoing updates:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2467399/posts
#
Off Thread Topic:
http://www.eurasiareview.com/2010/04/33006-was-jihad-jane-recruit-of-lashkar.html
“Was Jihad Jane A Recruit Of Lashkar-E-Toiba?”
Saturday, April 03, 2010
By B.Raman
SNIPPET: “In June 2008, Jihad Jane had posted a comment on YouTube saying she was “desperate to do something somehow to help” suffering Muslims. According to the FBI indictment, she appears to have been contacted by the jihadis thereafter. The indictment charges that she received a direct order to kill a Swedish resident. She traveled to Sweden and tracked the target with the intent of carrying out the murder. The FBI identified the target as cartoonist Lars Vilks.In an e-mail message to a co-conspirator, she wrote that she would pursue her mission “till I achieve it or die trying,” according to the indictment.The indictment accuses her of agreeing, in March 2009, to marry a co-conspirator from a South Asian country who was trying to obtain residency in Europe.He allegedly urged her to go to Sweden, find the Swedish man “and kill him”. The indictment claims she tried to raise money over the internet, lure others to her cause, and lied to FBI investigators.
According to US media reports, she is also linked to an online organization Revolutionmuslim.com — where she was a subscriber, again using the name Jihad Jane. The site is run by an American Muslim, who had made the following posting after she was indicted: “Sisters — please consider sending her [LaRose] a message of support and hope and let’s remind her she isn’t alone. It’s likely she’s the only Muslimah there. As always, use discretion when writing, don’t ask pointed questions, and of course don’t say anything that could create problems for her or yourselves.”
She has been accused not only of conspiring to murder the cartoonist, but also of allegedly trying to recruit women with Western passports to marry fellow violent jihadists and of raising money for terrorist causes.
The US Department of Justice has issued the following statement regarding her indictment:”
SNIPPET: “B. Raman is Additional Secretary (retd), Cabinet Secretariat, Govt. of India, New Delhi, and, presently, Director, Institute For Topical Studies, Chennai.”
Labels: India, Pakistan, Terrorism
UPDATE:
February 1, 2011
NOTE The following text is a quote:
philadelphia.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel11/ph020111.htm
Pennsylvania Woman Pleads Guilty in Plot to Recruit Violent Jihadist Fighters and to Commit Murder Overseas
PHILADELPHIA—Colleen R. LaRose, aka “Jihad Jane,” 47, pleaded guilty today to all counts of a superseding indictment charging her with conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, conspiracy to kill in a foreign country, making false statements, and attempted identity theft. LaRose faces a maximum potential sentence of life in prison and a $1 million fine when sentenced.
The guilty plea, which was entered today before U.S. District Court Judge Petrese B. Tucker, was announced by Assistant Attorney General for National Security David Kris, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania Zane David Memeger, and Special Agent-in-Charge George Venizelos, of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Philadelphia Division.
LaRose, a U.S. citizen and former resident of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, was charged by indictment in March 2010. A superseding indictment was filed in April 2010, adding co-defendant Jamie Paulin Ramirez, a U.S. citizen and former resident of Colorado. Ramirez is awaiting trial which is scheduled to begin May 2, 2011.
According to documents filed with the court, LaRose and her co-conspirators recruited men on the Internet to wage violent jihad in South Asia and Europe and recruited women on the Internet who had passports and the ability to travel to and around Europe in support of violent jihad.
LaRose and her co-conspirators used the Internet to establish relationships with one another and to communicate regarding their plans, which included martyring themselves, soliciting funds for terrorists, soliciting passports, and avoiding travel restrictions (through the collection of passports and through marriage) in order to wage violent jihad. LaRose also stole another individual’s U.S. passport and transferred it in an effort to facilitate an act of international terrorism.
In addition, LaRose received a direct order to kill a citizen and resident of Sweden, and to do so in a way that would frighten “the whole Kufar [non-believer] world.” LaRose agreed to carry out her murder assignment, and she and her co-conspirators discussed that her appearance and American citizenship would help her blend in while carrying out their plans. LaRose later traveled to Europe and tracked the intended target online in an effort to complete her task.
“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,” said David Kris, Assistant Attorney General for National Security. “I applaud the many agents and analysts and prosecutors who helped bring about today’s result.”
“We are working diligently to protect the public by investigating and prosecuting terrorists, said Memeger. “Today’s plea is an illustration of the dedication—by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, this office, and the National Security Division—to achieve that goal.”
“The guilty plea in this case today demonstrates our need to remain vigilant to the continuing and evolving threats that we face in addressing terrorism,” said Special Agent-in-Charge George C. Venizelos, of the Philadelphia Division of the FBI. “Our Joint Terrorism Task Forces and our partners in the law enforcement and intelligence communities need to, more than ever, stay creative in our approaches to preventing acts of terrorism.”
This case was investigated by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force in Philadelphia, the FBI Field Division in New York, the FBI Field Division in Denver, and the FBI Field Office in Washington, D.C. Authorities in Ireland and Sweden provided assistance in this matter. The Office of International Affairs in the Justice Department’s Criminal Division also provided assistance. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams, in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and Matthew F. Blue, Trial Attorney from the Counterterrorism Section in the Justice Department’s National Security Division.