A suburban Pennsylvania woman has been arrested and charged with recruiting Islamic fighters and plotting the assassination of a Swedish cartoonist who made fun of the Prophet Mohammed, causing outrage among the Muslim communities around the world.

Colleen R. LaRose, 46, lives in Montgomery, PA and is described by neighbors to be an average housewife. To federal authorities, however, she is better known as “Fatima Rose” or “Jihad Jane.”

A federal indictment revealed that LaRose agreed to kill a Swede on orders from unidentified terrorists and travel to Europe to carry out the murder plot.

According to sources, the case is related to a group of people arrested in Ireland earlier on Tuesday last week on suspicion of murdering Swedish artist Lars Vilks, who drew a picture of the Prophet Mohammed with the body of a dog.

LaRose charges included four counts: conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, conspiracy to kill in a foreign country, attempting identity theft, and making false statements to a government official.

A convert to Islam, LaRose said in her online conversations that she thought her American appearance—blonde hair and blue eyes—would help her freely move in Sweden to execute the attack, the indictment said.

According to US Attorney Michael Levy, the case demonstrates the extent of what terrorists will do for their cause — looking for Americans to join them, causing difficulty in spotting terrorists based on appearance.

Investigators stated that in June 2008, LaRose posted a comment on YouTube, stating she was desperate to do something to help. Six months later, she received a reply from someone who was willing to join her.

Then, in February 2009, one of LaRose’s online messages sent to a co-conspirator in South Asia said that her physical appearance would allow her to blend in well with many people and that she can easily achieve her goals.

Furthermore, prosecutors said because of her appearance, LaRose’s overseas terrorist contacts considered her an asset.