7 arrested in Ireland over Swedish cartoonist plot - 5 released

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Three freed in death plot probe

March 13, 2010 -- Three of the seven suspects detained by gardai investigating the alleged plot to murder Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks were released without charge last night. A married couple, both Algerians, who had been arrested at their Ballincollig home in Cork last Tuesday, were freed, along with another woman who was being detained at Tramore garda station. The other four were still being questioned by officers late last night but it was likely that a decision would be made by this morning on the fate of the one remaining women in custody. Meanwhile, gardai are building up a case against the prime suspect arrested here. Officers said last night the 49-year-old Algerian remained the main focus of their investigation. An examination of the computers seized during the garda raids on seven houses, an office and a bakery, has confirmed an online link between the Algerian and the self-styled Jihad Jane, who is alleged in a criminal indictment before a court in Philadelphia to be the organiser of the murder plot. A trawl through the massive quantity of computer records on exchanges of emails and internet chatroom content continued last night. But the exercise has already provided confirmation of intelligence supplied by the FBI and CIA that Jihad Jane, whose real name is Colleen LaRose, and the Algerian had been in contact with each other on the internet. She also used the Algerian to interact with others here.

When Ms LaRose visited here for two weeks last September her movements were monitored by gardai and she was seen in the company of the Algerian and his Kansas-born wife in Cork and in Waterford. The Algerian is an Irish passport holder, who has been living here since 2000 and became a naturalised citizen in 2008. Gardai will attempt to establish over the weekend whether any of the contacts between them amounted to a breach of the criminal legislation here. Other members of the Irish-based group were regarded as facilitators, who were prepared to provide logistical support for Ms LaRose, if necessary. But they will not face charges unless there is evidence to show they had knowledge of her alleged plans to kill Mr Vilks in Sweden. They did not communicate directly with Ms LaRose but were aware she held strong views. Arrested in Waterford city, Tramore and Ballincollig, the suspects have been questioned since Tuesday at garda stations in Waterford city, Tramore, Dungarvan and Thomastown. The garda operation, which has been under way since last autumn, involves gardai from the south-eastern region, the special branch, the national surveillance unit and the crime and security branch. They have been working with the FBI, CIA, British security services, the Swedish police agency Sapo, and north African police forces.

[Al-khiyal]

Cartoonist 'death plot' suspects released

March 13, 2010 -- Gardai continued to build a case today against the prime suspect in an alleged plot to murder a Swedish cartoonist. A 49-year-old Algerian man has remained the main focus in the investigation which led to the arrest of seven people in Waterford, Tramore and Ballincollig. Three of the seven were released without charge last night and a file is being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecution. Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks caused uproar in the Muslim world when he depicted the head of Muhammad on the body of a dog. A series of death threats were made against him from different groups around the world. A married couple, both Algerians, who had been arrested at their Ballincollig home in Cork last Tuesday, were freed from Dungarvan Garda Station, along with another woman who was being detained at Tramore. The other four, three men and a woman, were still being questioned by officers late last night. Three of the seven arrested were from Algeria and the others were from the U.S., Libya, Croatia and Palestine. A forensic examination of computers seized during garda raids on seven houses, an office and a bakery, has confirmed an online link between the Algerian and the self-styled 'Jihad Jane', American Coleen Rose, who is alleged in a criminal indictment before a court in Philadelphia to be the organiser of the murder plot. But a garda operation confirmed intelligence supplied by the FBI and CIA that LaRose and the Algerian had been in contact with each other on the internet.

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[Al-khiyal]

Jihad mon amour

Samedi 13 Mars 2010 -- Voici donc le nouveau visage d’Al Qaeda ? Jamie Paulin-Ramirez, une secrétaire médicale originaire du Colorado, a été arrêtée hier en Irlande avec six supposés complices alors que le groupe complotait l’assassinat d’un caricaturiste suédois coupable d’avoir dessiné la tête du prophète Mohammed sur le corps d’un chien. Cette arrestation suit de peu celle de « Jihad Jane », alias Colleen LaRose, habitante de Pennsylvanie, coffrée cette semaine par le FBI à son retour d’Irlande où elle avait rencontré les mêmes individus. Blondes, visiblement nourries au maïs du MidWest profond , ces deux femmes incarnaient les nouvelles recrues indétectables de la mouvance jihadiste. LaRose tentait d’obtenir un permis de séjour en Suède, afin de s’approcher de sa victime désignée. Parmi la dizaine d’Américains débusqués par les services de contre terrorisme dans les réseaux d’Al Qaeda, elles suscitent les questions les plus troublantes. Ni Paulin-Ramirez, ni LaRose n’entretenaient, elles, le moindre rapport avec le monde musulman avant de se convertir et de tout plaquer pour épouser la cause. LaRose s’était soudainement affublée du surnom « Jihad Jane » (un emprunt au film GI Jane avec Demi Moore) pour écumer l’Internet de vidéo pro islamistes. Avant de disparaître. Est-ce la prime de 100 000 dollars offert par un groupe jihadiste pour le meurtre du suédois Lars Vilks ? Les recruteurs auront aussi affiné leurs techniques, pour repérer et enrôler des sujets instables, en quête d’un nouveau sens à leurs vies parsemées d’échecs, de mariages ratés et compliqués par des troubles mentaux et émotionnels. Ils cherchaient aussi des blondes. Nouvelles combattantes de l’ombre.

[Al-khiyal]

Colorado woman held in terror probe

DENVER, March 13, 2010 — A Colorado woman has been detained in Ireland in connection with an alleged plot to assassinate a Swedish cartoonist whose sketch offended many Muslims, a U.S. official said Saturday. Jamie Paulin-Ramirez, 31, was among seven people arrested in Ireland this week as authorities investigate an alleged plot to kill cartoonist Lars Vilks over a 2007 sketch depicting the head of the Prophet Muhammad on a dog's body. The drawing provoked terror front Al-Qaida in Iraq to offer a $100,000 bounty for his slaying. The U.S. official was not authorized to discuss the investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity. After the arrests, U.S. authorities unsealed terror charges against Colleen LaRose, 46, of Pennsylvania. She allegedly went by the name "Jihad Jane" to recruit others online to kill the cartoonist. It's not clear whether Paulin-Ramirez might face terror charges. Her mother Christina Mott, of Leadville, Colo., told The Associated Press that she learned of her daughter's arrest in the case from the FBI and other federal law enforcement agencies. Denver FBI officials said Friday they couldn't confirm that the FBI had contacted Mott about the case. Dean Boyd, a Justice Department spokesman, said the agency was aware of the arrests in Ireland but had no comment on the identities of those taken into custody. "Our investigation continues," he said. Mott said that Paulin-Ramirez told her family after she left in September that she went to Ireland with her 6-year-old son and married an Algerian whom she met online. Before abruptly leaving Colorado, Paulin-Ramirez had been a straight-A nursing student, her mother said.

Earlier this week, Irish authorities announced the arrest of seven Muslims in the alleged plot, only identifying them as three Algerians, a Libyan, a Palestinian, a Croatian and an American woman married to one of the Algerians. They were arrested Tuesday, hours before U.S. authorities unveiled a terror indictment against LaRose. On Saturday, Irish police said that three of those arrested had been released without charges, while three other men and an American woman remain in custody. Irish police refused to confirm whether Paulin-Ramirez is the woman in custody, and have declined to release the identities of any of those arrested. The Wall Street Journal, quoting anonymous sources familiar with the case, first reported on its Web site that Paulin-Ramirez was being held in the alleged plot.

Christine Mott said she's concerned for the welfare of her grandson, who has been placed in the custody of Ireland's foster care system. "This is about my baby," Christine Mott said. "We need some help to get this baby back. I'm concerned about my daughter but I'm concerned about our baby boy because he shouldn't be caught in the middle of this." The Motts said Paulin-Ramirez announced to her family last spring that she was converting to Islam and began wearing headscarves, and later a hijab. "It came out of left field," Christine Mott said. "I knew she was talking to these people online... What caused her to turn her back on her country, on her family and become this person? I don't know how or why. All I know is she was in contact with this Jihad Jane. The only thing I could think of is that they brainwashed her." Irish police say LaRose visited Ireland in September and spent about two weeks with the Algerian-American couple and other suspects. Investigators believe she began communicating last year with the Irish-based suspects in member-only Internet chat rooms. Her stepfather, George Mott, said the FBI seized a desktop computer in late September but did not tell the family what they found. Christine Mott said her daughter was getting 4.0 grades as she studied to become a nurse practitioner and was working a $30,000 job at Eagle Valley Medical Clinic in nearby Edwards. The Motts said Paulin-Ramirez began to withdraw and argue with her parents about her religion in the months after announcing her conversion.

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3 held in terror inquiry freed; Irish police don't identify them

March 7, 2010 -- Three people were released from Irish custody today, after being arrested as part of an investigation into a conspiracy to kill a Swedish cartoonist who made fun of the Prophet Mohammed. Irish authorities would not say whether Jamie Paulin-Ramirez of Leadville was among those free to leave the country. Ramirez was among a group of seven people — four men and three women — arrested Tuesday in Ireland. An Irish police spokesman said today that two women and one man were released late Friday after cooperating with Irish authorities this week. "They could all be rearrested again," Tony Connaughton, a spokesman for the Garda, the Ireland police, said. He acknowledged the freed people would likely flee Ireland. "The investigators have considered these facts," Connaughton said.

Another woman who was arrested last week was Colleen R. LaRose, 46, of suburban Philadelphia, known on the Internet as "JihadJane." Paulin-Ramirez was traveling with her son, Christian, 6, who has not been heard from since his mother's arrest on Tuesday. Connaughton would not confirm whether the boy was with Irish authorities while his mother was in jail. Paulin-Ramirez's mother, Christine Holcomb, said Friday night that she had spoken with her daughter and her grandson Monday but hasn't been able to reach them since. "I'm angry with her," Holcomb told The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the story online. "I'd just like to choke her, but I'm worried about her too." Holcomb's husband of 14 years, George Mott, was more direct Friday night. "I'm so mad. All I want right now is to find our grandson." The boy's father is a Mexican national who hasn't been heard from in five years.

Mott said that last year, Paulin-Ramirez began spending considerable time on the Internet in Muslim chat rooms, befriending JihadJane and other Muslim extremists — including Najibullah Zazi, the Aurora airport-shuttle driver who recently admitted his plot to bomb the New York City subway system. She also began wearing fundamentalist Muslim clothing, including a hijab, or head cloth covering everything except her eyes. Paulin-Ramirez left Leadville in September and traveled to New York, where she married an Algerian. The couple, as well as her son, then traveled to Ireland, Mott said. The family filed a missing-persons report with the Leadville Police Department, which launched a full-scale investigation. "I always thought they had something there," said police sergeant Saige Thomas. "Nobody took them seriously with a story like that. But we did." Police found Paulin-Ramirez's car in the long-term parking lot at Denver International Airport, Thomas said.

Her mother told Leadville police that her daughter had changed the code on their joint bank account so she couldn't access it. Finally, Paulin-Ramirez called the family from Ireland the week of October 6. They stayed in relatively close contact until recently. "JihadJane stayed with them in Ireland for two weeks," Mott said. "When JihadJane got arrested, she told the FBI and the Irish authorities about the Algerian, who gave up our daughter." The FBI came to the Mott home in Leadville on Thursday, searched their home and confiscated Paulin-Ramirez's computer. A few months before she disappeared, her stepfather told The Journal that he asked her: "What are you going to do, strap a bomb on and blow up something?" He recalled that she responded, "If necessary, yes."

[Al-khiyal]

Irish police hold four for alleged links with Jihad Jane

March 13, 2010 -- Four Irish residents, including a U.S. woman, remained in custody last night as anti-terrorism police continued to probe the Irish connection in the “Jihad Jane” plot to murder Lars Vilks, a Swedish cartoonist. Three of the seven people taken into custody in raids on homes in the Republic of Ireland on Tuesday – a couple originally from Algeria and a Palestinian woman – were released without charge late on Friday night.

It was the arrest of the seven at addresses in Cork and Waterford that led to disclosure by the US justice department that Colleen LaRose, a 46-year-old US-born convert to Islam, had been held since October on charges of plotting to kill Mr Vilks, whose 2007 cartoon portraying the Prophet Mohammed had offended Muslims worldwide. Ms LaRose is alleged to have used the names Jihad Jane and Fatima LaRose on websites as she attempted to recruit people in South Asia, Europe and the United States to wage a bloody jihad. Last August, she flew to Europe, initially visiting the Netherlands and inquiring about residency in Sweden, before flying to Ireland for two weeks in September.

Amateur internet sleuths, who had been tracking Ms LaRose’s internet activities for two years, had alerted the U.S. authorities early last year after she made an alleged appeal for funds to sponsor terrorist activity. The CIA alerted the Garda, the Irish police, who kept her under surveillance throughout her stay in Ireland. Her main point of contact, according to sources in Dublin yesterday, was 49-year-old Sharif Damache, an Algerian who settled in Ireland in 2000 and who became a naturalised Irish citizen two years ago.

Mr Damache, who was arrested at his home in Waterford, remained in custody last night along with his wife, Jamie Paulin-Ramirez, a 31-year-old convert to Islam from Colorado. Christine Mott, her mother, told the Associated Press that her daughter disappeared in September and later told her family she had gone to Ireland with her six-year-old son and married an Algerian whom she had met online.

Mrs Mott said her daughter had announced to her family a year ago that she was converting to Islam and began wearing headscarves. “It came out of left field,” Mrs Mott said. “I knew she was talking to these people online. What caused her to turn her back on her country, on her family and become this person? I don’t know how or why. All I know is she was in contact with this Jihad Jane. The only thing I could think of is that they brainwashed her.”

Sources within the Garda have indicated, however, that her husband remained of much greater interest to them than Ms Paulin-Ramirez. “We are not linking those arrested to any al Qa’eda cell,” one official said. “The central question is whether any of those in custody were directly involved in a plot to kill Mr Vilks.” The arrests on Tuesday were made in Waterford city, Tramore and Ballincollig. Seven houses, an office and a bakery were raided and investigators were continuing to pore over e-mails and internet chatroom exchanges from seized computers.

An Algerian couple who run a bakery in Ballincollig – Ghamrassan Moulay-Slimane and his wife, Iles – were released on Friday evening, along with Nadah Sameh, a Palestinian woman from Tramore. Her husband, Abd al Salam Mansur al Jahani, a Libyan who has been living in Ireland for almost a decade, remained in custody along with Danijel Orsos, a 26-year-old Croatian convert, and Mr Damache and his American wife.

Ms LaRose is understood to have initially contacted like-minded people through social networking sites and then e-mailed passwords to people so they could communicate on private chatroom sites. When she visited Europe, it is alleged, she made personal contact with some of those she was hoping to recruit to help in the operation to kill Mr Vilks. She was arrested when she returned to the United States in October.

In addition to police and intelligence agencies in Ireland and the United States, the UK’s security services, Sapo (the Swedish police agency) and police forces in North Africa have been involved in the investigation. Aside from those taken into custody in Ireland, police have also interviewed about 25 other people who personally knew those arrested in a bid to ascertain if attempts had been made to radicalise them.

The Irish Independent newspaper reported yesterday: “Gardai will attempt to establish over the weekend whether any of the contacts between them amounted to a breach of the criminal legislation here. Other members of the Irish-based group were regarded as facilitators, who were prepared to provide logistical support for Ms LaRose, if necessary. But they will not face charges unless there is evidence to show they had knowledge of her alleged plans to kill Mr Vilks in Sweden. They did not communicate directly with Ms LaRose but were aware she held strong views.”