Pennsylvania Woman, 'Jihad Jane,' Pleads Guilty in Terror Plot

A Pennsylvania woman who called herself "Jihad Jane" pleaded guilty Tuesday in connection with a bizarre plot to kill a Swedish cartoonist who had offended some Muslims with a comic depiction of the Prophet Muhammad.

Colleen LaRose (her real name) told a federal court in Philadelphia she was entering the plea freely and had never been treated for mental illness. The 47-year-old woman, who has been in custody since October 2009, was charged with conspiracy to support terrorists, conspiracy to kill in another country, lying to investigators and attempted identity theft. She faces a possible 30-year sentence, the Philadelphia Inquirer said.

The murky plot unfolded in e-mails recovered by the FBI. After she was nabbed, LaRose was accused of agreeing to marry an online contact as part of a plan to track down the artist, Lars Vilks, who lived in Sweden. With her appearance and American citizenship, she was supposed to blend in overseas as the conspirators carried out their scheme, prosecutors said. Desperate to relieve the suffering of Muslim people, she was willing to "become a martyr," according to a YouTube posting and one of her e-mails obtained by the prosecution.

LaRose was arrested after returning to the United States in 2009, but the alleged conspiracy was exposed early last year with the arrest of co-defendant Jamie Paul-Ramirez of Leadville, Colo. in Ireland, the Associated Press reported. Six other suspects were also rounded up in Ireland. LaRose initially pleaded not guilty.

The woman who used the online name "Fatima LaRose" had a troubled life before falling in with her accused co-conspirators. She was twice divorced, had been arrested for petty offenses -- some alcohol-related -- and once swallowed eight prescription muscle relaxers, nearly killing herself after the death of her father.

Her lawyer, Mark T. Wilson, told the AP Tuesday, "We'll have a lot to say at sentencing."