Palestinian Woman Hid Deadly Bombings When Applying for U.S. Citizenship
A Palestinian woman convicted of two bombings in Israel in 1970 pleaded guilty Tuesday in a Chicago courtroom to hiding those offenses when she applied for U.S. citizenship years later.
Rasmea Odeh, now 69, was sentenced to life in prison in Israel for two bombings, one of which killed two men at a Jerusalem supermarket. She was released in 1979 during a prisoner swap between Israel and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
When she applied for a U.S. visa in 1994, she didn't disclose her criminal record, and again failed to disclose the conviction when she applied for citizenship in 2004 while living in Michigan. A guilty verdict in her first trail was overturned on appeal, and she then accepted a plea deal rather than be retried.
Odeh will be deported to Jordan or another country at some point after a court appearance in August. As part of her agreement with federal prosecutors, she will spend no time in prison.