Female Terror

'IT WAS NOT MURDER. WE ARE NOT MURDERERS. IT WAS THE EXECUTION OF AN ORDER, SATAN ORDERED US AND WE HAD TO COMPLY. IT WAS NOT SOMETHING BAD. IT SIMPLY HAD TO BE. WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE VICTIM SUFFERED WELL. MY KNIFE STARTED TO GLOW AND I HEARD THE COMMAND TO STAB HIM.' - 'Satanic' Murderess, Manuela Ruda

Women are becoming as active as men in shocking and heinous crimes across the globe, from rape and murder to extortion and street crime, as well as the occasional satanic slaying. Statistics show that female crime and female violence is on the rise, particularly in America, where violent offences committed by women have risen by over 100 percent in the past two years.

Women are now a major force in both organised crime and terrorism. In the last ten years they have also come to the fore as gun-toting leaders of Los Angeles street gangs, whose members are every bit as ruthless and aggressive as their male counterparts. They are running organised crime syndicates and shooting down their enemies.

From Ulrike Meinhof to Rose West, from suicide bombers to mafia godmothers. Ann Magma looks at the rise and rise of the dangerous female.