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Former SLA fugitive's plea stands

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- A judge Tuesday let stand the guilty plea of former Symbionese Liberation Army member Sara Jane Olson whom he had ordered to reappear in court to confirm the plea she entered last week.

Olson pleaded guilty October 31 to two counts of possessing bombs in 1975 with intent to kill Los Angeles police officers.

But Olson angered Superior Court Judge Larry Fidler when she told reporters outside the court she was innocent and that her plea bargain was greatly influenced by the September 11 terrorist attacks.

"It became clear to me that the incident would have a remarkable effect on the outcome of this trial, and I think that it's unfortunate, but the effect was probably going to be negative," she said at the time.

Olson also said she had resisted making a plea bargain until the very last moment. She did it for herself and her family, she said.

"That's really what governed this decision, not the truth or honesty, but what was probably in my best interests and the interests of my family," she said.

Fidler grilled Olson closely during the hearing Tuesday, asking her if she was indeed guilty of the charges.

"I want to make it clear, your honor, that I did not make that bomb. I did not possess that bomb. I did not plant that bomb. But under the concept of aiding and abetting, I plead guilty," Olson told the judge after spending much of the hearing sighing heavily and rolling her eyes.

Fidler asked her if she was pleading guilty "because you are, in fact, guilty?"

Olson replied, "Yes."

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Tony Serra, one of Olson's attorneys, told the judge in Tuesday's hearing that "her choice of words was inartful."

Olson's lawyers are hopeful that she will only serve about three to five years in prison, but Fidler reiterated she could face 20 years to life under the terms of a law passed in 1975.

District Attorney Eleanor Hunter said the California Board of Prison Terms would determine her release date. Hunter acknowledged that could come in three to five years.

Currently free on $1 million bail, Olson was charged with planting bombs under patrol cars in 1975 in an attempt to murder Los Angeles police officers. The bombs did not explode.

The action allegedly was in retaliation for the deaths of six SLA members in a police shootout the year before.

Olson's much-delayed trial had technically already had begun, although no jury had been selected, when she agreed to the plea bargain, which dropped three counts, including conspiracy.

Now 54, Olson was a fugitive for 25 years until her 1999 arrest in St. Paul, Minnesota. She was named in the indictment by her real name, Kathleen Soliah.

The courtroom was jammed with spectators Tuesday, many of them Olson's supporters. Her 19-year-old daughter and her mother sat in the front row.

Olson is scheduled be sentenced December 7 but will not begin serving her term until January 18, 2002.