Terrorist Suspect JihadJane Shatters the Stereotype

Terrorism cases since 9/11 have ranged from the criminally mundane to the James Bond-ishly exotic—but few have been as puzzling as the story of Colleen LaRose, a 46-year-old Pennsylvania woman who used the screen name JihadJane. LaRose was indicted by a federal court last week on charges relating to the planned murder of a Swedish cartoonist famous for penning cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad as a dog. Several other people were arrested apparently linked to the alleged plot. LaRose was arrested in mid-October in connection with the case and has been held without bail.

The case against LaRose, a white, blond, middle-aged woman who apparently converted to Islam, raises old and troubling questions about the viability of profiling as a counterterrorism tactic. Moreover, it also hits on several recurring themes that have long worried counterterrorism officials—namely, the apparent domestic radicalization of American citizens, radicalization through the Inter­net, and the fear of self-starter terrorists who require neither elaborate training nor coordination from established terrorist networks like al Qaeda. David Kris, assistant attorney general for national security, announced the indictment last week, saying that the alleged plot "under­scores the evolving nature of the threat we face."

Indeed, LaRose doesn't fit the profile that many Ameri­cans would ascribe to a terrorist. She is only the third woman in recent years alleged to have conspired with terrorists. Lawyer Lynne Stewart was convicted in 2005 of helping a radical Egyptian cleric communicate with a terrorist group, itself a controversial case. And earlier this year, Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani woman connected to one of the 9/11 hijackers, was convicted in a Brooklyn, N.Y., courthouse of shooting at U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan.

Despite her none-too-subtle choice of online monikers, LaRose appears to have been quite cognizant of the low visibility of her nationality and gender on counterterrorism radar, according to court docu­ments. In the indictment, prosecutors contend that LaRose "recruited women online who had passports and the ability to travel to and around Europe in support of violent jihad." In February 2009, according to documents, she sent an electronic communication, noting that her physical appearance would allow her to "blend in with many people." Senior U.S. counterterrorism officials have warned for several years that al Qaeda and other terrorist groups were seeking to recruit Westerners and those with clean European and American passports, who could move easily across international borders without arousing suspicion. There was no mention of al Qaeda or any other established group in LaRose's indictment.

That reality stands in stark contrast to calls for more counterterrorism profiling in the wake of the Christmas Day underwear bomber and the Fort Hood attack, both carried out by Muslim men. "I know it's not politically correct to say it: I believe in racial and ethnic profiling," said Oklahoma Sen. James Inhofe during a January hearing examining those two attacks. "All terrorists are Muslims or Middle Easterners between the age of 20 and 35. That's by and large true." But elaborating on the indictment, U.S. Attorney Michael Levy said the LaRose case "shatters any lingering thought that we can spot a terrorist based on appearance."

• See photos of the prison at Guantánamo Bay.