American Woman, 'Jihad Jane,' Held on Terror Charges in Philly

A petite American woman who called herself "Jihad Jane" is being held in a federal detention center in Philadelphia on charges of conspiring to support terrorism. She is allegedly part of a plot that flowered on the Internet and eventually took her to Europe in a plan to attack and kill an artist living in Sweden.

Colleen Renee LaRose, 46 -- aka Jihad Jane and "Fatima Rose" -- was arrested on Oct. 15 in Philadelphia and also charged with making false statements to a government official and attempted identify theft, according to The Washington Post. She is accused of having tried to recruit others to "wage violent jihad," her indictment asserts.

Across the Atlantic in Ireland, authorities on Tuesday arrested four men and three women suspected of conspiring with LaRose in the plan -- not carried out -- to attack Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks, CNN reported.

Her involvement began last June when LaRose, using her Jihad nickname, posted a comment on YouTube saying she was "desperate to do something somehow to help" Muslims, according to the indictment. LaRose is accused of stealing a U.S. passport in the course of the conspiracy to "facilitate an act of terrorism."

Justice Department officials would not comment on the arrests in Cork and Waterford, Ireland, or whether Vilks was a target.

David Kris, an assistant attorney general in the national security division, said the charge against LaRose "underscores the evolving nature of the threat we face."

"The case shows the use terrorists can and do make of the Internet," Kris said in a statement. "Colleen LaRose and . . . other individuals, scattered across the globe, are alleged to have used the Internet to form a conspiracy to provide material support to terrorism, culminating in a direct order to commit murder overseas."

LaRose, who stands just under 5 feet and weighs about 100 pounds, has a record in Texas for passing bad checks and driving while intoxicated, the Post said. She and fellow unindicted co-conspirators are accused of making a plan that "included martyring themselves, soliciting funds for terrorists, soliciting passports and avoiding travel restrictions (through the collection of passports and through marriage) in order to wage violent jihad."

No arraignment date has been set.