Airdate: Jihad Jane

Documentary streamer iwonder premieres Jihad Jane, a tale of two Americans’ descent into terrorism, the pasts that paved their way to radicalisation and the trail left in their wake.

Head of Content Alexandra Fox-Hughes says: “While no-one can excuse the actions of two women who followed the dark path we see in Jihad Jane, what emerges is a far more complex and nuanced story of how scars from the past can create personal demons from which some people are unable to escape.”

In March 2010, two American women, including one who named herself ‘Jihad Jane’, were taken into custody as part of a number of high-profile arrests in Waterford, Ireland. In 2014 Jihad Jane, real name Colleen LaRose, a blonde, blue-eyed woman from suburban Philadelphia, was convicted of conspiracy to murder a Swedish artist who drew a cartoon of the prophet Muhammad.

Handled sensitively throughout, and with unprecedented access to the people involved, for the first time ever the documentary tells the story of LaRose’s path to terrorism and her radicalisation via the dark corners of social media and the internet.

Dating back to a childhood filled with abuse, the film shows how those early years paved the way for the damaged and doomed relationships that followed and her eventual decision to leave the US to join the Algerian leader of a Jihadist group.

Set against the backdrop of post 9-11 America, what emerges is a thought-provoking and haunting portrait of a world caught up in the turmoil of terrorism and how two vulnerable, white, suburban women were taken down a path of radical extremism through online forums and internet propaganda.

Thursday August 6 on iwonder.