Lori Berenson, a U.S. citizen who was found guilty of aiding the Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA) in 1996, is coming back to the states from Peru.

The BBC reports that Berenson, who was given a 20-year prison sentence for helping the leftist guerrilla group, was released on parole in 2010, but was not allowed to leave the country until her full sentence was completed.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Berenson was initially given a life sentence by a military tribunal. She was found guilty of being tied to a conspiracy aimed at assaulting the Peruvian Congress, kidnapping legislators and overthrowing the government.

In 2003, she married a former MRTA rebel named Anibal Apari in prison and then gave birth to their son while still jailed. She has been living in Lima with her now six-year-old son since receiving parole, but is no longer marred to the former rebel.

Berenson plans to reconnect with her family in New York City and live with her parents until she can make a life for herself.

The onetime militant expressed remorse for her past associations with the Marxist MRTA.

Berenson said she "wanted to express her deep sympathy for the victims of Peru's internal armed conflict, to which I was linked through my collaboration with the MRTA."

At the time of her trial, Berenson denied that MRTA was in any way in the wrong.

"There are no criminal terrorists in the MRTA,” she screamed at the TV cameras covering the event. “It is a revolutionary movement!"

Berenson, the daughter of college professors, travelled to Central and South America in the 1990s, where she eventually became involved with the Peruvian Marxist group.

Peru is actively engaged in pursuing terrorist groups in the region. Last year, 24 people were arrested for links to the militant Maoist group the Shining Path.

As BBC reports, President Oilanta Humala has steadfastly insisted that his government will not negotiate with terrorists.