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Former SLA member waives extradition to face California charges

July 8, 1999
Web posted at: 8:05 p.m. EDT (0005 GMT)

LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- A woman authorities accuse of having been a member of the Symbionese Liberation Army, on the lam for 23 years, will waive extradition from Minnesota, where she was captured, to California to face state charges.

The suspect, identified by authorities as Kathleen Ann Soliah but known to family and friends as Sara Jane Olson, was arrested in June on a federal fugitive warrant that identified her as a member of the SLA wanted on charges of plotting to kill Los Angeles police officers by placing explosives under their patrol cars.

Soliah will sign the waiver Friday in a St. Paul, Minnesota, court. She will be transferred from Minnesota to California on Monday or Tuesday, according to Stuart Hanlon, her California attorney. A bail hearing is scheduled in Los Angeles next Wednesday.

Soliah's attorney said she would fight extradition, but on July 1, California Gov. Gray Davis sent a "request for requisition" to Minnesota, a procedural step to force her return.

Her arrest came shortly after the airing of an episode of "America's Most Wanted" marking the 25-year anniversary of a fiery shootout between the Los Angeles Police Department and the SLA. Six SLA members died in the gun battle, and the ensuing investigation helped authorities nab kidnapped newspaper heiress turned SLA member Patty Hearst.

Soliah attended rallies after the shootout vocally supporting the SLA, which brought her to the attention of law enforcement authorities. At a rally in May 1974, she said, "SLA soldiers, although I know it's not necessary to say, keep fighting. I'm with you, and we are with you."

Almost one year later -- in August 1975 -- Los Angeles police discovered explosive devices had been planted under two patrol cars. About six months later, Soliah was indicted on felony charges including conspiracy to commit murder of police officers and possession of a destructive device or explosive. The bombs never exploded, and no officers were killed.



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RELATED SITES:
The Patricia Campbell Hearst Page
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  •  Meet William Randolph Hearst
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