American Woman, 'Jihad Jane,' Pleads Not Guilty to Terror Charges

Jihad Jane says she's innocent.

The Pennsylvania woman, real name Colleen R. LaRose, pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges that she recruited men on the Internet to take part in terrorist activities in Europe and southern Asia. Wearing a green jumpsuit with her hair in cornrows, LaRose entered her plea in a Philadelphia courtroom to charges of conspiracy and vowing to commit murder, the New York Times reported. She was allegedly plotting to kill a Swedish cartoonist named Lars Vilks for drawing an offensive caricature of the prophet Muhammad.

LaRose, 46, was arrested in October after visiting Europe with a stolen passport that she intended to pass on to one her co-conspirators, authorities said. In a 2008 YouTube video, LaRose said she was "desperate to do something" to ease the suffering of Muslims.

Seven others were arrested in Ireland in the case, but five of them were later released. Two men, Ali Charaf Damache of Algeria and Abdul Salam al-Jahani of Libya, face relatively minor charges, the Times said.