FBI Director Kash Patel has made it clear he does not believe Joanne Chesimard, better known as Assata Shakur, should be remembered as a hero.
In a statement shared on social media, Patel called Shakur a “terrorist,” referencing her 1973 conviction for the murder of New Jersey State Trooper Werner Foerster. Shakur escaped prison in 1979 and has been living in Cuba ever since, making her one of the FBI’s most wanted fugitives for decades.
Patel condemned those who expressed sympathy after news of her death, saying mourning her is an insult to police officers who gave their lives in service. He stressed that the FBI never stopped labeling her what they believe she was: a terrorist who fled accountability.
Shakur’s story has long divided public opinion, with some viewing her as a symbol of resistance and others pointing to her conviction as proof of her violent past.
Joanne Chesimard didn’t “fight for justice.” She murdered New Jersey State Trooper Werner Foerster in cold blood, then fled to Cuba to escape accountability. The FBI never stopped calling her what she was: a terrorist.
Mourning her is spitting on the badge and the blood of every… pic.twitter.com/letscTdaBG
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) September 28, 2025
