Joanne Chesimard has become the first woman to be put on the FBI most wanted terrorist list and has a $2 million bounty put on her.
The 40-year saga of Joanne Chesimard, who is also known as Assata Shakur, was part of the Black Liberation Army and became one of the most notorious fugitives in New Jersey history.
May 2, 1973, she killed New Jersey state trooper, Werner Foerster execution-style. In a routine traffic stop on the New Jersey Turnpike, she and two others were pulled over. Chesimard, who was in the passenger seat, opened fire with her semi-automatic pistol first.
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.
Four years later, in 1977 she was convicted of first-degree murder, assault and battery of a police officer, assault with a dangerous weapon, assault with intent to kill, illegal possession of a weapon and armed robbery and sent to prison.
She broke out of prison two years later with the help of accomplices from the BLA and the Weather Underground, a left-wing radical organization. Chesimard had a hide out in a New Jersey safe house for several years before she fled to Cuba in 1979 and has been living under the name Assata Shakur for decades.
“This case is just as important today as it was when it happened 40 years ago,” said 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.”
“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. “She absolutely is a threat to America.”
Col. Rick Fuentes, superintendent of the New Jersey State Police stated, “To this day, from her safe haven in Cuba, she been given the pulpit to preach and profess. She has been used by the Castro regime to greet foreign delegations visiting Cuba.”
“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. While we cannot right the wrongs of the past, we can and will continue to pursue justice no matter how long it takes,” said Ford in the press conference.
“Justice has no expiration date … This killer continues to be free,” said Jeffrey S. Chiesa, New Jersey’s Attorney General, adding that the FBI remains committed to bringing Chesimard back to the U.S.
Anyone with information that helps authorities capture Chesimard is urged to notify authorities at 1-800-CALL-FBI.
Joanne Chesimard “Assata Shakur” is now 65-years old.
Joanne Chesimard Added to Most Wanted Terrorists 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 Bureau’s list of top terrorists.
1st Woman On FBI Most Wanted Terrorist List
A woman convicted of killing a New Jersey state trooper 40 years ago has become the first female to be placed on the FBI’s list of most wanted terrorists.
Tupac’s godmother first woman on FBI terror list
Joanne Chesimard is the first woman on the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorist List.
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