Convicted Terrorist Worked as Obamacare Navigator in Illinois

CHICAGO — A convicted terrorist who was arrested in Evergreen Park on suspicion she hid her past to obtain U.S. citizenship was working in Illinois as an Obamacare navigator, reports the National Review Online in a story published Feb. 26.

Authorities were unaware of Rasmieh Yousef Odeh's conviction for her involvement in a deadly 1969 grocery store bombing in Israel and two other attacks when she entered the country.

She was arrested by federal agents at her Evergreen Park home in October 2013 and pleaded not guilty to the charges in November.

Health insurance marketplace navigators help people prepare their applications to establish eligibility for enrollment for health coverage. On Nov. 24, 2013, the Illinois Department of Insurance revoked Odeh’s certification as a Navigator In-Person Counselor, reports Jillian Kay Melchior in the National Review Online.

Reports Melchior:

The Illinois DOI conducts background checks on navigators. National Review Online obtained the comprehensive Federal Bureau of Investigation background report for Odeh, which does not note any past criminal offenses.

According to the director of insurance’s ... revocation letter, the Department of Insurance found out about Odeh’s history after the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Eastern District of Michigan, notified the public about her prior convictions.

Odeh was the subject of a 2004 documentary, Women in Struggle. The documentary recounts how Odeh and two other women became active in the national fight for Palestinian independence.

In 1969, Odeh was convicted of placing bombs in a supermarket and the British Consulate in Jerusalem. The bomb in the supermarket detonated, killing two people and injuring others. The second bomb caused structural damage to the consulate building, according to a federal indictment.

Odeh was convicted in an Israeli military court and sentenced to life in prison. During her incarceration, Odeh, as well as the film’s other female subjects, allege that they were beaten, tortured and raped into giving up information about Palestinian liberation groups.

After 10 years in prison, Odeh was released and transferred to Lebanon in a prisoner swap.

The documentary shows Odeh as unrepentant about her actions.