Meet The First Woman Added To FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Terrorist List
On the 40th anniversary of the
cold-blooded murder of a New Jersey state trooper, the fugitive convicted of
the killing, Joanne Chesimard, has been named a Most Wanted Terrorist by the
FBI—the first woman ever to make the list.
Officials
from the FBI and the New Jersey State Police made the announcement this morning
during a press conference, noting that the FBI is offering a reward of up to $1
million for information leading to the apprehension of Chesimard, who is
believed to be living in Cuba under political asylum. Additionally, the state
of New Jersey is offering an independent reward of up to $1 million, bringing
the total maximum reward to $2 million.
“Joanne Chesimard is a domestic
terrorist who murdered a law enforcement officer execution-style,” said Aaron
Ford, special agent in charge of our Newark Division. “Today, on the
anniversary of Trooper Werner Foerster’s death, we want the public to know that
we will not rest until this fugitive is brought to justice.”
“This case is just as important
today as it was when it happened 40 years ago,” added Mike Rinaldi, a
lieutenant in the New Jersey State Police and member of our Joint Terrorism
Task Force (JTTF) in Newark. “Bringing Joanne Chesimard back here to face
justice is still a top priority,” he said.
On May 2, 1973, Chesimard and a pair
of accomplices were stopped by two troopers for a motor vehicle violation on
the New Jersey Turnpike. At the time, Chesimard—a member of the violent
revolutionary activist organization known as the Black Liberation Army—was
wanted for her involvement in several felonies, including bank robbery.
Chesimard and her accomplices opened
fire on the troopers. One officer was wounded, and his partner—Trooper
Foerster—was shot and killed at point-blank range. One of Chesimard’s
accomplices was killed in the shoot-out and the other was arrested and remains
in jail.
Chesimard fled but was apprehended.
In 1977, she was found guilty of first-degree murder, armed robbery, and other
crimes and was sentenced to life in prison. Less than two years later, she
escaped from prison and lived underground before surfacing in Cuba in 1984.
In addition to being the first woman
named as a Most Wanted Terrorist, Chesimard is only the second domestic
terrorist to be added to the list.
“This crime was always considered an
act of domestic terrorism,” said Rinaldi, who has been working the case for six
years with other members of the JTTF. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, he
explained, the Black Liberation Army was a “radical left wing terror group that
felt justified killing law enforcement officers.
Throughout the ‘70s,” Rinaldi
added, “this group conducted assaults on police stations and murdered police
officers.”
Although Chesimard has been granted
asylum in Cuba, Rinaldi stressed,“This is an active investigation and will
continue as such until Chesimard is apprehended.”
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