‘Jihad Jane’ pleads not guilty to terror plot - US news - Security | NBC News Thursday's arraignment lasted only minutes. LaRose uttered just two words — "not guilty" — when asked her plea to the charges: conspiring to aid terrorists, conspiring to kill someone overseas, lying to the FBI and stealing her ex-boyfriend's passport. 'Desperate to do something' Authorities were on on LaRose's trail as early as July 2009, when the FBI interviewed her about more than a year's worth of online posts and messages, including a 2008 YouTube video in which she said she was "desperate to do something" to ease the suffering of Muslims. She denied to agents that she had used the screen name "Jihad Jane" or had sent any of the messages recovered, which included fundraising appeals for the jihadist cause, according to the indictment. LaRose's live-in boyfriend of five years, Kurt Gorman, of Pennsburg, did not attend Thursday's hearing, and there was no sign of other friends or relatives. Gorman has said that he knew nothing of her interest in Islam and that she disappeared without saying a word.

While he worked, he said, she spent most of her time in their apartment, caring for his elderly father and using the computer. Dent said he's always known that "homegrown radicalism is a real threat." "I just never knew it'd occur in my backyard," said Dent, who described Pennsburg as a Norman Rockwell-type town. "In this woman's case, from what I can tell, she didn't seem to have much of a tie to Islam other than what she learned over the Internet." From June 2008 through October 2009, LaRose, who also called herself Fatima Rose, went online to recruit male fighters for the cause, recruit women with Western passports to marry them and raise money for the holy war, the indictment charged. The suspects detained in Ireland include Jamie Paulin-Ramirez, a 31-year-old Colorado woman whose mother said she began talking about jihad with her Muslim stepfather and soon spent most of her time online, according to the U.S. official. Paulin-Ramirez left Leadville, Colo., on Sept.

11, 2009, with her 6-year-old son and told her family she had married a fourth time, to an Algerian she had met online, her mother said. Irish officials, who also arrested the Algerian in the arrests this month, later said they had released the American woman . LaRose had left the United States in late August for Europe, though her specific destination hasn't been revealed. Both women left troubled lives behind, LaRose having survived a suicide attempt and Paulin-Ramirez, according to her mother, an abusive first marriage and a childhood marked by bullying. Trolling the Net LaRose spent most of her life in Texas, where she dropped out of high school, married at 16 and again at 24, and racked up a few minor arrests, records show. Advertise After a second divorce, she followed Gorman to Pennsylvania in about 2004 and began caring for his father while he worked long hours, sometimes on the road. In 2005, she swallowed a handful of pills, later telling Pennsburg police she was upset over the death of her father — but did not want to die, according to the police report.

As she moved through her 40s without a job or any outside hobbies, Gorman said, she started spending more time online. Though he did not consider her religious, and she apparently never joined a mosque, LaRose had by 2008 declared herself "desperate" to help Muslims in the YouTube video. "In my view, she sort of slipped sideways into Islam. ... There may have been some seduction into it, by one or more people," said Temple University psychologist Frank Farley. No evidence she made it to Sweden LaRose and Gorman shared an apartment with his father in Pennsburg, a quaint if isolated town an hour northwest of Philadelphia. Just days after the father died in August, she stole Gorman's passport and fled, according to the indictment. She had been taking care of the elderly man. The South Asian man she had agreed to marry told her in a March 2009 e-mail to go to Sweden to find the artist, Lars Vilks, the indictment said. "I will make this my goal till i achieve it or die trying," she wrote back, adding that her blond, blue-eyed, all-American looks would help her blend in.

Vilks has questioned the sophistication of the plotters, but noting he is glad LaRose never got to him. Although she had written the Swedish embassy in March 2009 to ask how to obtain residency, and joined his online artists group in September, there is no evidence from court documents that she ever made it to Sweden. Instead, she returned to Philadelphia and was swiftly taken into custody. Lawyer Lynne Stewart was convicted in February 2005 of helping blind Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman communicate with his followers from prison; Rahman is serving a life sentence for conspiracies to blow up New York City landmarks and assassinate Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Pakistani scientist Aafia Siddiqui was found guilty Feb. 3 of shooting at U.S. personnel in Afghanistan while yelling, "Death to Americans!" Neither of those cases, though, involved the kind of violent plotting attributed to LaRose. Stewart has insisted she is "not a traitor," while Siddiqui has accused U.S. authorities of lying about her. Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

'Jihad Jane' denies terror charges | US news | The Guardian 'Jihad Jane' denies terror charges US Muslim convert Colleen LaRose accused of joining plot to kill Swedish artist Lars Vilks Colleen LaRose, known as "Jihad Jane", appeared in court in Philadelphia yesterday. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images Associated Press Thursday 18 March 2010 12.03 EDT First published on Thursday 18 March 2010 12.03 EDT Close This article is 6 years old An American woman accused of dubbing herself " Jihad Jane " online has pleaded not guilty to terrorism charges in Philadelphia. Colleen LaRose appeared in court today, accused on four counts of conspiring with jihadist fighters and pledging to commit murder. Officials say she was part of a plot to kill Swedish artist Lars Vilks, who offended some Muslims by depicting the prophet Muhammad as a dog in a sketch. Al-Qaida had placed a $100,000 (£67,000) bounty on Vilks's head. Police believe LaRose met extremists from around the world online, and say her case is connected to the arrest of seven terror suspects in Ireland last week.

She is said to have visited Ireland last year to meet some of the seven suspected plotters, who are Algerian, Croatian, Palestinian, Libyan and American. It was after her trip to Ireland that the FBI contacted the Irish police, who put a number of people under surveillance. They say she posted a YouTube video in 2008 saying she was "desperate to do something" to ease the suffering of Muslims. She was arrested in October 2009 in Philadelphia after returning to the US from Ireland. The indictment claims that between June 2008 and August 2009 LaRose – who also called herself "Fatima Rose" – went online to raise money for the holy war, recruit male fighters for the cause and find women with western passports to marry them. She had agreed to marry one of her overseas contacts, a man from south Asia who said he could deal in bombs and explosives, according to emails recovered by authorities. He also told her in a March 2009 email to go to Sweden to find Vilks. "I will make this my goal till I achieve it or die trying," she wrote back, adding that her blond American looks would help her blend in.

Vilks questioned the sophistication of the plotters, seven of whom were rounded up in Ireland last week, just before LaRose's indictment was unsealed. Nevertheless, he said, he was glad LaRose never got to him. Although she had written to the Swedish embassy in March 2009 to ask how to obtain residency, and joined his online artists group in September, there is no evidence from court documents that she ever made it to Sweden. She was arrested returning to Philadelphia on 15 October. LaRose spent most of her life in Texas, where she dropped out of high school, married at 16 and again at 24, and was arrested for a few minor offences, records show. After a second divorce, she followed a boyfriend to Pennsylvania in about 2004 and began caring for his father while he worked long hours, sometimes on the road. As she got older she started spending more time online, her boyfriend, Kurt Gorman, said. He said he did not consider her religious, and she apparently never joined a mosque, but by 2008 LaRose had declared herself "desperate" to help suffering Muslims in the YouTube video.

"In my view, she sort of slipped sideways into Islam … there may have been some seduction into it, by one or more people," said a Temple University psychologist, Frank Farley. LaRose and Gorman shared an apartment with his father in Pennsburg, near Philadelphia. Days after Gorman's father died last August, she stole Gorman's passport and fled to Europe without telling him, making good on her online pledge to try to kill in the name of Allah, according to the indictment. A trial was set for 3 May. Terror suspect pleads not guilty Official: 'Jihad Jane' cooperating - The Blade Terror suspect pleads not guilty Official: 'Jihad Jane' cooperating ASSOCIATED PRESS Print 39.95227 -75.16237 A woman accused of trolling the Internet as Jihad Jane and agreeing to kill a Swedish artist targeted by radical Muslims has cooperated with authorities, a congressman said. PHILADELPHIA - A woman accused of trolling the Internet as Jihad Jane and agreeing to kill a Swedish artist targeted by radical Muslims has cooperated with authorities, a congressman said.

Colleen LaRose pleaded not guilty yesterday to a four-count indictment at a brief arraignment in federal court in Philadelphia, marking her first public comments after six months of detention since her arrest on Oct. 15. Ms. LaRose smiled at her public defenders when she entered the courtroom. The judge set a May 3 trial date on charges in the indictment, unsealed last week. The indictment of Ms. LaRose, 46, was filed March 4 and made public five days later. She is accused of conspiring with fighters overseas and pledging to commit murder in the name of a Muslim holy war, or jihad. Rep. Charles Dent (R., Pa.) said the FBI and others told him that Ms. LaRose is cooperating with authorities in the international probe. She lived in his district. "I have a sense they learned as much as they could from her, and when that happens, you move forward with the criminal complaint," said Mr. Dent, who serves on intelligence and homeland security committees. The FBI and the U.S. attorney's office declined comment on Mr. Dent's remarks. The suspect's public defender did not immediately return phone calls. Yesterday's arraignment lasted just long enough for Ms.

LaRose to say "not guilty" when asked her plea to the charges: conspiring to aid terrorists, conspiring to kill someone overseas, lying to the FBI, and stealing her ex-boyfriend's passport. As early as July, 2009, the FBI interviewed her about more than a year's worth of online posts and messages, including a 2008 YouTube video in which she said she was "desperate to do something" to ease the suffering of Muslims. Points of Interest Click to comment Guidelines: Please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Comments that violate these standards, or our privacy statement or visitor's agreement , are subject to being removed and commenters are subject to being banned. To post comments, you must be a registered user on toledoblade.com. To find out more, please visit the FAQ . Quis autem vel eum iure reprehenderit qui in ea voluptate velit esse quam nihil molestiae consequatur, vel illum qui dolorem? Temporibus autem quibusdam et aut officiis debitis aut rerum necessitatibus saepe eveniet.

Copyright © 2015 Toledo Blade 'JihadJane' Pleads Not Guilty to Terror Charges | Fox News 'JihadJane' Pleads Not Guilty to Terror Charges Published March 18, 2010 Facebook 0 Twitter 0 livefyre Email Print Using the internet pseudonyms "JihadJane" and "Fatima Rose," LaRose posted on Islamic internet forums, YouTube and FaceBook in an attempt to befriend and rally like-minded Muslims to her cause. She expressed her desire to advance Islamic holy war and become a shahed, or martyr, for Islam. PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia-area woman authorities say dubbed herself " Jihad Jane " online pleaded not guilty Thursday in federal court to a four-count indictment charging her in an overseas terrorist plot. Colleen LaRose, 46, of Pennsburg, appeared in court wearing a green jumpsuit and corn rows in her blond hair. A May 3 trial date was set. She was accused of conspiring with jihadist fighters and pledging to commit murder in the name of a Muslim holy war. Authorities say she wanted to kill a Swedish artist who had offended Muslims.

Authorities say she grew acquainted online with violent co-conspirators from around the world. They say she posted a YouTube video in 2008 saying she was "desperate to do something" to ease the suffering of Muslims. She was arrested in October 2009 in Philadelphia while returning to the United States . LaRose spent most of her life in Texas, where she dropped out of high school, married at 16 and again at 24, and racked up a few minor arrests, records show. After a second divorce, she followed a boyfriend to Pennsylvania in about 2004 and began caring for his father while he worked long hours, sometimes on the road. In 2005, she swallowed a handful of pills in a failed suicide attempt, telling police she was upset over the death of her father -- but did not want to die. As she moved through her 40s without a job or any outside hobbies, her boyfriend said, she started spending more time online. Though her boyfriend, Kurt Gorman, did not consider her religious, and she apparently never joined a mosque, LaRose had by 2008 declared herself "desperate" to help suffering Muslims in the YouTube video.

"In my view, she sort of slipped sideways into Islam . ... There may have been some seduction into it, by one or more people," said Temple University psychologist Frank Farley. LaRose and Gorman shared an apartment with his father in Pennsburg, a quaint if isolated town an hour northwest of Philadelphia. Just days after the father died last August, she stole Gorman's passport and fled to Europe without telling him, making good on her online pledge to try to kill in the name of Allah, according to the indictment. From June 2008 through her Aug. 23, 2009, departure, the woman who also called herself "Fatima Rose" went online to recruit male fighters for the cause, recruit women with Western passports to marry them, and raise money for the holy war, the indictment charged. She had also agreed to marry one of her overseas contacts, a man from South Asia who said he could deal bombs and explosives, according to e-mails recovered by authorities. He also told her in a March 2009 e-mail to go to Sweden to find the artist, Lars Vilks.

"I will make this my goal till i achieve it or die trying," she wrote back, adding that her blonde American looks would help her blend in. Vilks questioned the sophistication of the plotters, seven of whom were rounded up in Ireland last week, just before LaRose's indictment was unsealed. Still, he said he was glad LaRose never got to him. Although she had written the Swedish embassy in March 2009 to ask how to obtain residency, and joined his online artists group in September, there is no evidence from court documents that she ever made it to Sweden. Instead, she was arrested returning to Philadelphia on Oct. 15. Advertisement American says she didn’t plot to kill artist - The Boston Globe American says she didn’t plot to kill artist Online she was ‘Jihad Jane,’ officials allege Though she apparently never joined a mosque, Colleen R. LaRose had by 2008 declared herself "desperate" to help Muslims in a video, prosecutors say.

Associated Press / March 19, 2010 E-mail this article Add a personal message:(80 character limit) Your E-mail: | Text size – + PHILADELPHIA — A Pennsylvania woman accused of trolling the Internet as “Jihad Jane’’ denied in court yesterday that she sought to kill a Swedish artist targeted by radical Muslims or agreed to marry a terrorism suspect to help him get travel documents. Colleen R. LaRose, 46, of Pennsburg smiled at her public defenders when she entered the federal courtroom for her arraignment. The judge set a May 3 trial date on charges in the four-count indictment. LaRose was accused of conspiring with fighters overseas and pledging to commit murder in the name of a Muslim holy war, or jihad. She was arrested Oct. 15 while returning to Philadelphia from Europe and remained in federal custody during an investigation. US Representative Charles Dent, a Republican from Pennsylvania, said he learned through meetings with the FBI and other briefings that LaRose had been cooperating with authorities pursuing the international probe. LaRose lived in his district. The indictment was filed March 4 and made public five days later after authorities rounded up seven terror suspects in Ireland.

Those suspects are linked to LaRose, according to a US official not authorized to discuss the case who had spoken previously on the condition of anonymity. At the brief hearing, LaRose pleaded not guilty to conspiring to aid terrorists, conspiring to kill someone overseas, lying to the FBI, and stealing her former boyfriend’s passport. Authorities were on her trail as early as July 2009, when the FBI interviewed her about more than a year’s worth of online posts and messages, including a 2008 YouTube video in which she said she was “desperate to do something’’ to ease the suffering of Muslims. She denied to agents that she had used the screen name “Jihad Jane’’ or had sent any of the messages recovered, which included fund-raising appeals for the jihadist cause, according to the indictment. The suspects detained in Ireland include Jamie Paulin-Ramirez, 31, a Colorado woman whose mother said she talked about jihad with her Muslim stepfather, according to the US official. LaRose had left the United States for Europe on Aug. 23, though her specific destination has not been revealed.

LaRose’s live-in boyfriend of five years, Kurt Gorman of Pennsburg, did not attend the hearing. Gorman has said that he knew nothing of her interest in Islam and that she disappeared without saying a word. LaRose spent most of her life in Texas, where she dropped out of high school, married at 16 and again at 24, and had been arrested for a few minor crimes, records show. After a second divorce, she followed Gorman to Pennsylvania in about 2004 and began caring for his father while he worked long hours. In 2005, she swallowed a handful of pills, later telling Pennsburg police she was upset over the death of her father — but did not want to die, according to the police report. As she moved through her 40s without a job or any hobbies, Gorman said, she started spending more time online. Though he did not consider her religious, and she apparently never joined a mosque, LaRose had by 2008 declared herself “desperate’’ to help Muslims in the YouTube video, prosecutors say. “In my view, she sort of slipped sideways into Islam. . . .

There may have been some seduction into it, by one or more people,’’ said Frank Farley, a Temple University psychologist. LaRose and Gorman shared an apartment with his father in Pennsburg, an hour northwest of Philadelphia. Just days after the father died in August, she stole Gorman’s passport and fled, according to the indictment. From June 2008 through October 2009, LaRose, who also allegedly called herself “Fatima Rose,’’ went online to recruit male fighters for the cause, find women with Western passports to marry them, and raise money for the holy war, the indictment charged. The South Asian man she had agreed to marry told her in a March 2009 e-mail to go to Sweden to find the artist, Lars Vilks, the indictment said. “I will make this my goal till i achieve it or die trying,’’ she wrote back, adding that her blonde, blue-eyed, all-American looks would help her blend in. © Copyright 2010 Globe Newspaper Company. LOG IN TO COMMENT U.S. Rep: Pa. Jihad Jane Terror Suspect Cooperated U.S. Rep: Pa.

Jihad Jane Terror Suspect Cooperated Thursday, 18 Mar 2010 06:23 PM Close A A A woman accused of trolling the Internet as Jihad Jane and agreeing to marry a terrorist suspect and kill a Swedish artist targeted by radical Muslims cooperated with authorities, a congressman said. Colleen LaRose pleaded not guilty Thursday to the four-count indictment at a brief arraignment in federal court in Philadelphia. The hearing marked her first public comments after six months of detention following her unannounced arrest in October. She wore a green prison jumpsuit and corn rows in her blond hair and smiled warmly at her public defenders when she entered the courtroom. The judge set a May 3 trial date on charges in the indictment, unsealed last week. LaRose, 46, was accused of conspiring with fighters overseas and pledging to commit murder in the name of a Muslim holy war, or jihad. She was arrested Oct. 15 returning to Philadelphia from Europe. Rep. Charles Dent, R.-Pa., said he learned through meetings with the FBI and other briefings that LaRose had been cooperating with authorities pursuing the international probe. LaRose lived in his district.

"I have a sense they learned as much as they could from her, and when that happens, you move forward with the criminal complaint," Dent, who serves on intelligence and homeland security committees, told The Associated Press. "Will she be more cooperative in the future? I hope so." The FBI and the U.S. attorney's office declined comment on Dent's remarks. LaRose's public defender did not immediately return a telephone message left by the AP. The indictment was filed March 4 and made public five days later after authorities rounded up seven terror suspects in Ireland. Those suspects are linked to LaRose, according to a U.S. official not authorized to discuss the case, who spoke to the AP previously on condition of anonymity. Thursday's arraignment lasted less than five minutes, just long enough for LaRose to say "not guilty" when asked her plea to the charges: conspiring to aid terrorists, conspiring to kill someone overseas, lying to the FBI and stealing her ex-boyfriend's passport.

Authorities were on her trail as early as July 2009, when the FBI interviewed her about more than a year's worth of online posts and messages, including a 2008 YouTube video in which she said she was "desperate to do something" to ease the suffering of Muslims. She denied to agents that she had used the screen name Jihad Jane or had sent any of the messages recovered, which included fundraising appeals for the jihadist cause, according to the indictment. The suspects detained in Ireland include Jamie Paulin-Ramirez, a 31-year-old Colorado woman whose mother said she began talking about jihad with her Muslim stepfather and soon spent most of her time online, according to the U.S. official. Paulin-Ramirez left Leadville, Colo., on Sept. 11, 2009, with her 6-year-old son and told her family she had married a fourth time, to an Algerian she had met online, her mother said. Irish officials, who also arrested the Algerian this month, later said they had released the American woman. LaRose had left the United States on Aug. 23 for Europe, though her specific destination hasn't been revealed.

Both women left troubled lives behind, LaRose having survived a suicide attempt and Paulin-Ramirez, according to her mother, an abusive first marriage and a childhood marked by bullying. LaRose's live-in boyfriend of five years, Kurt Gorman, of Pennsburg, did not attend Thursday's hearing, and there were no apparent friends or relatives there, either. Gorman has said that he knew nothing of her interest in Islam and that she disappeared without saying a word. Dent said he's always known that "homegrown radicalism is a real threat." "I just never knew it'd occur in my backyard," said Dent, who described Pennsburg as a Norman Rockwell-type town. "In this woman's case, from what I can tell, she didn't seem to have much of a tie to Islam other than what she learned over the Internet." LaRose spent most of her life in Texas, where she dropped out of high school, married at 16 and again at 24 and racked up a few minor arrests, records show. After a second divorce, she followed Gorman to Pennsylvania in about 2004 and began caring for his father while he worked long hours, sometimes on the road.

In 2005, she swallowed a handful of pills, later telling Pennsburg police she was upset over the death of her father but did not want to die, according to the police report. As she moved through her 40s without a job or any outside hobbies, Gorman said, she started spending more time online. Though he did not consider her religious, and she apparently never joined a mosque, LaRose had by 2008 declared herself "desperate" to help Muslims in the YouTube video. LaRose and Gorman shared an apartment with his father in Pennsburg, a quaint if isolated town an hour northwest of Philadelphia. Just days after the father died in August, she stole Gorman's passport and fled, according to the indictment. From June 2008 through October 2009, LaRose, who also called herself Fatima Rose, went online to recruit male fighters for the cause, recruit women with Western passports to marry them and raise money for the holy war, the indictment charged.

The South Asian man she had agreed to marry told her in a March 2009 e-mail to go to Sweden to find the artist, Lars Vilks, who had depicted the Prophet Muhammad with the body of a dog, the indictment said. "I will make this my goal till i achieve it or die trying," she wrote back, adding that her blond, blue-eyed, all-American looks would help her blend in. Vilks has questioned the sophistication of the plotters but said he is glad LaRose never got to him. Although she had written the Swedish embassy in March 2009 to ask how to obtain residency and joined his online artists group in September, there is no evidence from court documents that she ever made it to Sweden. Instead, she returned to Philadelphia and soon joined a very short list of women charged in the U.S. with terrorist activities. Lawyer Lynne Stewart was convicted in February 2005 of helping blind Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman communicate with his followers from prison; Rahman is serving a life sentence for conspiracies to blow up New York City landmarks and assassinate Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Pakistani scientist Aafia Siddiqui was found guilty Feb. 3 of shooting at U.S.

personnel in Afghanistan while yelling, "Death to Americans!" Neither of those cases, though, involved the kind of violent plotting attributed to LaRose. Stewart has insisted she is "not a traitor," while Siddiqui has accused U.S. authorities of lying about her. © Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Click Here to comment on this article Close US rep: Pa. Jihad Jane terror suspect cooperated | Fox News US rep: Pa. Jihad Jane terror suspect cooperated Published March 18, 2010 Facebook 0 Twitter 0 livefyre Email Print PHILADELPHIA – PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A woman accused of trolling the Internet as Jihad Jane and agreeing to marry a suspected terrorist and kill a Swedish artist targeted by radical Muslims cooperated with authorities, a congressman said. Colleen LaRose pleaded not guilty Thursday to the four-count indictment at a brief arraignment in federal court in Philadelphia. The hearing marked her first public appearance after six months of detention following her unannounced arrest in October.

She wore a green prison jumpsuit and corn rows in her blond hair and smiled warmly at her public defenders when she entered the courtroom. The judge set a May 3 trial date on charges in the indictment, unsealed last week. LaRose, 46, was accused of conspiring with fighters overseas and pledging to commit murder in the name of a Muslim holy war, or jihad. She was arrested Oct. 15 returning to Philadelphia from Europe and was swiftly jailed. Rep. Charles Dent, R.-Pa., said he learned through meetings with the FBI and other briefings that LaRose had been cooperating with authorities pursuing the international probe, who arrested seven people in Ireland last week. LaRose lived in his district. "I have a sense they learned as much as they could from her, and when that happens, you move forward with the criminal complaint," Dent, who serves on intelligence and homeland security committees, told The Associated Press. "Will she be more cooperative in the future? I hope so." The FBI, the U.S. attorney's office and LaRose's public defender, Mark Wilson , declined to comment.

The indictment was filed March 4 and made public five days later, after Irish authorities detained an American woman, her Algerian husband and five others. Those suspects are linked to LaRose, according to a U.S. official not authorized to discuss the case, who spoke to the AP previously on condition of anonymity. Thursday's arraignment lasted only minutes. LaRose uttered just two words — "not guilty" — when asked her plea to the charges: conspiring to aid terrorists, conspiring to kill someone overseas, lying to the FBI and stealing her ex-boyfriend's passport. Authorities were on LaRose's trail as early as July 2009, when the FBI interviewed her about more than a year's worth of online posts and messages, including a 2008 YouTube video in which she said she was "desperate to do something" to ease the suffering of Muslims. She denied to agents that she had used the screen name Jihad Jane or had sent any of the messages recovered, which included fundraising appeals for the jihadist cause, according to the indictment. LaRose's live-in boyfriend of five years, Kurt Gorman, of Pennsburg, did not attend Thursday's hearing, and there was no sign of other friends or relatives.

Gorman has said that he knew nothing of her interest in Islam and that she disappeared without saying a word. While he worked, he said, she spent most of her time in their apartment, caring for his elderly father and using the computer. Dent said he's always known that "homegrown radicalism is a real threat." "I just never knew it'd occur in my backyard," said Dent, who described Pennsburg as a Norman Rockwell-type town. "In this woman's case, from what I can tell, she didn't seem to have much of a tie to Islam other than what she learned over the Internet." From June 2008 through October 2009, LaRose, who also called herself Fatima Rose, went online to recruit male fighters for the cause, recruit women with Western passports to marry them and raise money for the holy war, the indictment charged. The suspects detained in Ireland include Jamie Paulin-Ramirez, a 31-year-old Colorado woman whose mother said she began talking about jihad with her Muslim stepfather and soon spent most of her time online, according to the U.S. official. Paulin-Ramirez left Leadville, Colo., on Sept.

11, 2009, with her 6-year-old son and told her family she had married a fourth time, to the Algerian, whom she had met online, her mother said. Irish officials later said they had released the American woman. LaRose had left the United States on Aug. 23 for Europe, though her specific destination hasn't been revealed. Both women left troubled lives behind, LaRose having survived a suicide attempt and Paulin-Ramirez, according to her mother, an abusive first marriage and a childhood marked by bullying. LaRose spent most of her life in Texas, where she dropped out of high school, married at 16 and again at 24 and racked up a few minor arrests, records show. After a second divorce, she followed Gorman to Pennsylvania in about 2004 and began caring for his father while he worked long hours, sometimes on the road. In 2005, she swallowed a handful of pills, later telling Pennsburg police she was upset over the death of her father but did not want to die, according to the police report.

As she moved through her 40s without a job or any outside hobbies, Gorman said, she started spending more time online. Though he did not consider her religious, and she apparently never joined a mosque, LaRose had by 2008 declared herself "desperate" to help Muslims in the YouTube video. LaRose and Gorman shared an apartment with his father in Pennsburg, a quaint if isolated town an hour northwest of Philadelphia. Just days after the father died in August, she stole Gorman's passport and fled, according to the indictment. The South Asian man she had agreed to marry told her in a March 2009 e-mail to go to Sweden to find the artist, Lars Vilks, who had depicted the Prophet Muhammad with the body of a dog, the indictment said. "I will make this my goal till i achieve it or die trying," she wrote back, adding that her blond, blue-eyed, all-American looks would help her blend in. Vilks has questioned the sophistication of the plotters but said he is glad LaRose never got to him.

Although she had written the Swedish embassy in March 2009 to ask how to obtain residency and joined his online artists group in September, there is no evidence from court documents that she ever made it to Sweden. Instead, she returned to Philadelphia and soon joined a very short list of women charged in the U.S. with terrorist activities. Lawyer Lynne Stewart was convicted in February 2005 of helping blind Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman communicate with his followers from prison; Rahman is serving a life sentence for conspiracies to blow up New York City landmarks and assassinate Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak . Pakistani scientist Aafia Siddiqui was found guilty Feb. 3 of shooting at U.S. personnel in Afghanistan while yelling, "Death to Americans!" Neither of those cases, though, involved the kind of violent plotting attributed to LaRose. Stewart has insisted she is "not a traitor," while Siddiqui has accused U.S. authorities of lying about her.

Advertisement 'Jihad Jane' pleads not guilty to terror plot - USATODAY.com The Philadelphia-area woman who authorities say dubbed herself "Jihad Jane" online pleaded not guilty in federal court to a four-count indictment charging her in an overseas terrorist plot. 'Jihad Jane' pleads not guilty to terror plot Updated Enlarge SITE Intelligence Group via AP Colleen LaRose, an American woman from Pennsylvania, makes her first court appearance Thursday since her indictment last week. PHILADELPHIA (AP)  The Philadelphia-area woman who authorities say dubbed herself "Jihad Jane" online pleaded not guilty Thursday in federal court to a four-count indictment charging her in an overseas terrorist plot. Colleen LaRose, 46, of Pennsburg, appeared in court wearing a green jumpsuit and corn rows in her blond hair. A May 3 trial date was set. She was accused of conspiring with jihadist fighters and pledging to commit murder in the name of a Muslim holy war. Authorities say she wanted to kill a Swedish artist who had offended Muslims. Authorities say she grew acquainted online with violent co-conspirators from around the world.

They say she posted a YouTube video in 2008 saying she was "desperate to do something" to ease the suffering of Muslims. She was arrested in October 2009 in Philadelphia while returning to the United States. LaRose spent most of her life in Texas, where she dropped out of high school, married at 16 and again at 24, and racked up a few minor arrests, records show. After a second divorce, she followed a boyfriend to Pennsylvania in about 2004 and began caring for his father while he worked long hours, sometimes on the road. In 2005, she swallowed a handful of pills in a failed suicide attempt, telling police she was upset over the death of her father — but did not want to die. As she moved through her 40s without a job or any outside hobbies, her boyfriend said, she started spending more time online. Though her boyfriend, Kurt Gorman, did not consider her religious, and she apparently never joined a mosque, LaRose had by 2008 declared herself "desperate" to help suffering Muslims in the YouTube video. "In my view, she sort of slipped sideways into Islam. ...

There may have been some seduction into it, by one or more people," said Temple University psychologist Frank Farley. LaRose and Gorman shared an apartment with his father in Pennsburg, a quaint if isolated town an hour northwest of Philadelphia. Just days after the father died last August, she stole Gorman's passport and fled to Europe without telling him, making good on her online pledge to try to kill in the name of Allah, according to the indictment. From June 2008 through her Aug. 23, 2009, departure, the woman who also called herself "Fatima Rose" went online to recruit male fighters for the cause, recruit women with Western passports to marry them, and raise money for the holy war, the indictment charged. She had also agreed to marry one of her overseas contacts, a man from South Asia who said he could deal bombs and explosives, according to e-mails recovered by authorities. He also told her in a March 2009 e-mail to go to Sweden to find the artist, Lars Vilks . "I will make this my goal till i achieve it or die trying," she wrote back, adding that her blonde American looks would help her blend in.

Vilks questioned the sophistication of the plotters, seven of whom were rounded up in Ireland last week, just before LaRose's indictment was unsealed. Still, he said he was glad LaRose never got to him. Although she had written the Swedish embassy in March 2009 to ask how to obtain residency, and joined his online artists group in September, there is no evidence from court documents that she ever made it to Sweden. Instead, she was arrested returning to Philadelphia on Oct. 15. Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Posted E-mail | Print | To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones . For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com . Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com . Guidelines: You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" button to make a difference. Read more .

‘Jihad Jane’ pleads not guilty to terror plot | New York Post ‘Jihad Jane’ pleads not guilty to terror plot Modal Trigger Colleen R. LaRose. AP PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia-area woman who authorities say dubbed herself “Jihad Jane” online pleaded not guilty Thursday in federal court to a four-count indictment charging her in an overseas terrorist plot. Colleen LaRose, 46, of Pennsburg, appeared in court wearing a green jumpsuit and corn rows in her blond hair. A May 3 trial date was set. She was accused of conspiring with jihadist fighters and pledging to commit murder in the name of a Muslim holy war. Authorities say she wanted to kill a Swedish artist who had offended Muslims. Authorities say she grew acquainted online with violent co-conspirators from around the world. They say she posted a YouTube video in 2008 saying she was “desperate to do something” to ease the suffering of Muslims.

She was arrested in October 2009 in Philadelphia while returning to the United States.states:pa; us:dsa; intl:; fmts:print, online; other:ami mid sto lon eur ; LaRose spent most of her life in Texas, where she dropped out of high school, married at 16 and again at 24, and racked up a few minor arrests, records show. After a second divorce, she followed a boyfriend to Pennsylvania in about 2004 and began caring for his father while he worked long hours, sometimes on the road. In 2005, she swallowed a handful of pills in a failed suicide attempt, telling police she was upset over the death of her father — but did not want to die. As she moved through her 40s without a job or any outside hobbies, her boyfriend said, she started spending more time online. Though her boyfriend, Kurt Gorman, did not consider her religious, and she apparently never joined a mosque, LaRose had by 2008 declared herself “desperate” to help suffering Muslims in the YouTube video. “In my view, she sort of slipped sideways into Islam.

… There may have been some seduction into it, by one or more people,” said Temple University psychologist Frank Farley. LaRose and Gorman shared an apartment with his father in Pennsburg, a quaint if isolated town an hour northwest of Philadelphia. Just days after the father died last August, she stole Gorman’s passport and fled to Europe without telling him, making good on her online pledge to try to kill in the name of Allah, according to the indictment. From June 2008 through her Aug. 23, 2009, departure, the woman who also called herself “Fatima Rose” went online to recruit male fighters for the cause, recruit women with Western passports to marry them, and raise money for the holy war, the indictment charged. She had also agreed to marry one of her overseas contacts, a man from South Asia who said he could deal bombs and explosives, according to e-mails recovered by authorities. He also told her in a March 2009 e-mail to go to Sweden to find the artist, Lars Vilks. “I will make this my goal till i achieve it or die trying,” she wrote back, adding that her blonde American looks would help her blend in.

Vilks questioned the sophistication of the plotters, seven of whom were rounded up in Ireland last week, just before LaRose’s indictment was unsealed. Still, he said he was glad LaRose never got to him. Although she had written the Swedish embassy in March 2009 to ask how to obtain residency, and joined his online artists group in September, there is no evidence from court documents that she ever made it to Sweden. Instead, she was arrested returning to Philadelphia on Oct. 15. Share this:

Question: What name was given to Colleen LaRose, who was accused of conspiring with fighters overseas and pledging to commit murder in the name of a Muslim holy war, and pleaded not guilty in court in Philadelphia in March 2010?
Answer: Jihad Jane