Second Jihad Jane surfaces
American mom, who suddenly converted to Islam and left home to marry an Algerian, is alleged to be part of plot to kill cartoonist
Denver: Authorities have captured a second "Jihad Jane" — a Colorado woman who allegedly got mixed up in an international plot to kill a Swedish cartoonist after converting to Islam and marrying an Algerian in New York.
Jamie Paulin-Ramirez, 31, was being questioned in Ireland along with three other suspects for plotting to bump off Lars Vilks, who outraged many by depicting the prophet as a dog in his drawings.
"I'm angry with her right now," said Paulin-Ramirez's mom, Christine Holcomb-Mott. "I'd like to just choke her. But I'm worried about her, too."
The original "Jihad Jane", Colleeen LaRose, 46, allegedly agreed to move to Sweden to help kill Vilks. One of the men in custody, an Algerian, is believed to be LaRose's main contact. He also has a relationship with Paulin.
A Kansas City-born mom of a 6-year-old boy, she allegedly went from average American to Islamist in the span of a year. She started taking classes on Islam and posting messages on Facebook to "STOP caLLing MUSLIMS TERRORISTS!"
Paulin-Ramirez became so radical that at one point her stepfather, himself a convert to Islam, became worried, according to the Wall Street Journal. He confronted her, saying: "What are you going to do, strap a bomb on and blow up something?" According to the Journal, she responded by saying, "If necessary, yes."
Paulin-Ramirez vanished with her son from her home in Colorado, leaving behind a $31,000-a-year job as a medical assistant. She is believed to have first gone to Denver and then on to New York. Afterwards, she sent her parents a forwarding address in Waterford, Ireland. Irish police say LaRose visited Ireland in September and spent about two weeks with the Algerian-American couple and other suspects.
