Thursday, March 11, 2010

New face of terror in US -'Jihad Jane'

The "war on terrorism" just got a little more complicated with the indictment of an average white American female dubbed "Jihad Jane" on charges of plotting with Islamic radicals, bringing even the so-called soccer moms under the radar.

Colleen LaRose, 46, a Pennsylvania native, has been charged with trying to recruit Islamic fighters and plotting to assassinate a Swedish cartoonist who made fun of Prophet Muhammad, according to a federal indictment unsealed on Tuesday.

What is striking about the case is that Colleen LaRose, who called herself Fatima La Rose, is a regular workaday housewife. Blonde and green-eyed, she would have easily slipped under scrutiny that typically focuses on non-whites.

In fact, that is precisely what she and her jihadi consorts whom she reached out to over the internet banked on as they discussed plans to kill a Swedish cartoonist.

In 2008, LaRose allegedly posted a video on You Tube calling herself Jihad Jane and stating she was "desperate to do something somehow to help" ease the suffering of Muslims, a move that attracted the attention of law-enforcement authorities.

According to the indictment, in email exchanges with five unindicted and unnamed co-conspirators in South Asia, Eastern and Western Europe, LaRose allegedly agreed to recruit people for jihad, to raise money for fighters. She also agreed to one jihadist's request to marry him to enable him to get inside Europe.

LaRose stated "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,'" the indictment said.

This is the first time a white American female has signed up for jihad. According to the indictment, in March 2009, shortly before she made the You Tube video, LaRose allegedly received a directive from her jihadist contacts to "go to Sweden... find location of (resident of Sweden)... and kill him... this is what i say to u". The target was identified as Lars Vilks, a cartoonist who had drawn Prophet Muhammad with the body of a dog.

LaRose was instructed to kill Vilks in a way that would frighten "the whole Kufar (non-believer) world." She was arrested in October 2009 but the case was kept under seal as authorities pursued leads to track down her jihadist contacts.

The indictment was unsealed on Tuesday after the arrest of seven Muslims in Ireland, in a case that was said to connect "Jihad Jane" to the plot to kill Vilks.

No comments:

Post a Comment

EZLaptops-Free Laptops for You