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Summary Mohammad Hassan Khalid entered the plea at his first public court appearance since his arrest.
A high school honors student pleaded not guilty Monday to charges he helped the US terrorist called “Jihad Jane” raise money and recruits for a Muslim holy war.The 18-year-old Mohammad Hassan Khalid entered the plea at his first public court appearance since his July 6 arrest. The reed-thin, serious-looking young man appeared older than his years. He had no family or friends in the Philadelphia courtroom. His parents, legal US residents from Pakistan who had pushed their four children to excel in school, were working, a defense lawyer said.Federal prosecutors allege that Khalid tried to recruit men to wage a holy war in Europe and South Asia, and women with passports who could travel there. He had met a middle-aged woman, Colleen LaRose, in online chat rooms when he was about 15, according to last weeks indictment. LaRose was being watched by the FBI after posting YouTube videos in which she called herself “Jihad Jane” and vowed to kill or die for the jihadist cause.LaRose, 46, has pleaded guilty to plotting to kill a Swedish artist who had offended Muslims. She faces a possible life sentence. Khalid’s defense lawyer, Jeffrey M. Lindy, believes LaRose helped the FBI build its case against the teenager. “I absolutely think she rolled over in a heartbeat (against him),” Lindy said after the arraignment. Khalid faces a 15-year prison term and deportation to his native Pakistan if convicted.
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