DETROIT (AP) - The Latest on the sentencing for a Chicago Palestinian activist who didn’t disclose her convictions for bombings in Jerusalem when she became a U.S. citizen (all times local):
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4:45 p.m.
A judge has revoked the U.S. citizenship of a Palestinian activist from Chicago who will be deported for failing to disclose convictions for bombings in Jerusalem.
Detroit federal Judge Gershwin Drain praised Rasmea Odeh (OH’-duh) for her years of service to Palestinian women in the Chicago area. But he says the immigration system relies on honesty.
The judge stuck to a plea deal Thursday and ordered no time in prison for the 70-year-old Odeh.
In 1970, Odeh was convicted of two bombings, including one that killed two men at a supermarket in Jerusalem. She insists she was tortured by Israeli military into confessing.
Odeh didn’t disclose the convictions when she entered the U.S. in 1994 and applied for citizenship a decade later.
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8:30 a.m.
A Palestinian activist from Chicago is returning to Detroit for a final court hearing before she’s eventually deported for concealing her convictions in two Jerusalem bombings.
Rasmea Odeh (OH’-duh) admits that she failed to disclose the convictions when she entered the U.S. and later went through the citizenship process in 2004. She’s not expected to get any time in prison Thursday but has agreed to be deported to Jordan or elsewhere.
In 1970, Odeh was convicted of two bombings, including one that killed two men at a supermarket in Jerusalem. She insists she was tortured by Israeli military into confessing.
Odeh was released in 1979 as part of a swap with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
In Chicago, she is widely respected for her work with Arab immigrants
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