French far-right leader at risk of jail time after tweet of violent images

The leader of the French far right may yet have her career derailed by a few tweets.

Marine Le Pen, who regularly denounces Islam and leads the far-right National Front party, has a legitimate shot at the presidency. But she's been under investigation for tweeting graphic photos related to the Islamic State in December, including an image of the beheading of James Foley, a journalist from the United States who was held hostage by ISIS militants.

French law punishes the publication of certain violent images by up to three years in prison, but Le Pen had been under immunity because she's a member of the European Union Parliament. The French judiciary had asked for her immunity to be revoked, and on Thursday they got their wish.

The possibility of a prosecution comes just ahead of the French presidential election, which is likely to be held over multiple voting rounds in April and May. Le Pen has previously called the potential charge a political witch hunt of sorts, and those kind of cries of partisanship could see a sharp uptick in the coming weeks depending on how the French judiciary decides to move forward. The case might not go anywhere, or it could be put to trial in the weeks before the election, which would surely cause a spectacle.

Le Pen is already the most-talked-about French presidential candidate outside the country. If elected, she has promised to pull France from the E.U., and a growing tide of Western nationalism will have won another victory.