The 47-year-old Philadelphia area woman known as “Jihad Jane” pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court to her part in a terror plot — reversing a “not guilty” plea she entered back in March.
Colleen LaRose pleaded guilty 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. Prosecutors say the woman had agreed to kill a Swedish cartoonist who had offended Muslims.
LaRose wrote in e-mails that she wanted to become a martyr in the name of Allah. She discussed with her co-conspirators how her appearance could help her blend in while carrying out her plans.
Standing in court, with her dirty-blond hair hanging just past her shoulders and her polite answers to the judge’s questions, it was easy to see how she could blend in, but tough to imagine her using the Internet to recruit participants for violent jihad.
LaRose faces a maximum potential sentence of life in prison.