'Jihad Jane' denies terror plot

AN American terrorist suspect dubbed "Jihad Jane" pleaded not guilty to an overseas terrorist plot when she appeared in court yesterday.

Colleen LaRose, from Philadelphia, is accused of conspiring with jihadist fighters and pledging to commit murder in the name of a Muslim holy war.

Authorities say the 46-year-old wanted to kill the Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks whose drawing of the Prophet Mohammed offended Muslims.

She is accused of meeting violent co-conspirators from around the world online and posting a YouTube video in 2008 saying she was "desperate to do something" to ease the suffering of Muslims.

She was arrested by police in Philadelphia in October 2009 while returning to the United States. Her trial date was set for May 3.

LaRose spent most of her life in Texas, where she dropped out of high school, married at 16 and again at 24, and racked up a few minor arrests.