NPR People: Dina Temple-Raston

U.S.-born radical imam Anwar al-Awlaki released an audio message in which he calls on American Muslims to question their loyalty to the U.S. government "that is leading the war on Islam." Officials say it is the first time Awlaki has combined his propaganda efforts with a call to action.

American Colleen LaRose is accused of conspiring with jihadists and pledging to commit murder in the name of a Muslim holy war. Authorities say she wanted to kill a Swedish artist who had offended Muslims. Her trial was set for May 3.

Colleen LaRose, a petite, 46-year-old blonde from the Philadelphia suburbs, is accused of trolling the Internet as "Jihad Jane" to recruit others who might take part in possible terrorist attacks. She allegedly looked for people like herself — people who don't fit a terrorist profile that now seems to be falling by the wayside.

In online chat rooms, she called herself "Jihad Jane." Her real name is Colleen LaRose. And she represents law enforcement's worst nightmare. A petite, 46-year-old blond from the leafy suburbs of Philadelphia, she is what investigators worry is the new face of terrorism.

A Pennsylvania woman who called herself Jihad Jane faces federal terrorism charges. Colleen LaRose did not fit the profile of an international terrorist. Authorities are alarmed because she apparently seemed to understand that her ability to blend in made her a valuable to terrorist groups.

The Obama administration is close to deciding that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed — the self-professed mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks — will be tried in a military court, NPR has learned. But an announcement is weeks away, an official said.

The Obama administration is close to a decision to try the self-described mastermind of the 9/11 attacks in a military court. That would mark a major switch in policy. Late last year, the Justice Department announced Khalid Sheik Mohammed and four others would be tried in civilian court in New York City. The administration says no decision has been made yet.

The Obama administration is close to deciding that the admitted mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks will be tried in a military court, reversing plans to hold the trial in a civilian court in New York. Fierce opposition arose to trying Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other Guantanamo detainees in a civilian courtroom in Manhattan.

In early February, a federal court in New York convicted Pakistani scientist Aafia Siddiqui of attempted murder of U.S. troops in Afghanistan. The FBI says she was an al-Qaida operative. She says she was held in secret custody by Pakistan and the U.S. and tortured, which the U.S. denies.

A former Denver-area man pleaded guilty in a major terrorism case Monday. Najibullah Zazi is accused of training with al-Qaida and plotting to bomb transportation targets in New York. He faces life in prison without parole.

The Colorado shuttle driver accused of training with al-Qaida and plotting to bomb transportation targets in New York pleaded guilty Monday to conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction. The FBI arrested Najibullah Zazi last fall and said he was planning an attack on the New York subway.

Najibullah Zazi said he was trained by al-Qaida for a "martyrdom" plan to attack the subway system. The 25-year-old former Denver airport shuttle driver faces a life sentence without parole when he is sentenced in June.

NPR News Investigation: Intelligence officials suspect that American-born radical imam Anwar al-Awlaki may have lured Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab to Yemen for training by al-Qaida operatives before the young Nigerian tried to bring down a Detroit-bound trans-Atlantic airliner on Dec. 25. A look at the cleric and his reach.

The FBI announced Friday that it has formally closed one of its most controversial investigations: the inquiry into the 2001 anthrax attacks. They say that an Army researcher, Bruce Ivins, mailed envelopes with the toxin to politicians and news organizations, adding that he acted alone.

Officials planned to release new evidence Friday proving that Dr. Bruce Ivins, 62, mailed poison-laced letters to a handful of politicians and newspaper outlets — a finding the bureau advanced during its preliminary investigation more than a year ago. Five people died and 17 were sickened by the attacks.