PHILADELPHIA — A suburban woman “desperate to do something” to help suffering Muslims has been accused of using the Internet to recruit jihadist fighters and help terrorists overseas, even agreeing to move to Europe to try to kill a Swedish artist, prosecutors said yesterday.
Authorities said the case shows how terror groups are looking to recruit Americans to carry out their goals.
A federal indictment charges that Colleen R. LaRose, who called herself Jihad Jane and Fatima LaRose online, agreed to kill the Swede on orders from the unnamed terrorists and traveled to Europe to carry out the killing.
A Department of Justice spokesman wouldn’t confirm the case is related to a group of people arrested in Ireland earlier yesterday on suspicion of plotting against Swedish artist Lars Vilks, who depicted the Prophet Mohammed with the body of a dog.
But a US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said LaRose had targeted that Swedish cartoonist.
LaRose, who has blond hair and blue eyes, indicated in her online conversations that she thought her appearance would help her move freely in Sweden to carry out the attack, the indictment said.