Was "Jihad Jane" a Real Terrorist Threat? Or a Mentally Unstable Loner?

This undated image courtesy of WPVI-TV in Philadelpha, Pennsylvania shows terror suspect Colleen LaRose. Operating online under the name "JihadJane", she recruited jihadist fighters in the United States, Europe and Asia in a bid to carry out terror plots "or die trying," prosecutors have said.

Photo Credit: AFP/WPVI TV

No one knows quite what to make of the woman who called herself "Jihad Jane," otherwise known as Colleen (sometimes "Fatima") LaRose of Pennsburg, PA. And why should they? Only a couple of days have passed since the unsealing of the indictment against her, which accuses LaRose of "recruiting" terrorists to kill a Swedish artist who drew an offensive picture of the Prophet Mohammed. And while the media have provided an avalanche of details since (some of dubious relevance to the case), the only thing that seems pretty clear thus far is that she was a mentally unstable woman with serious delusions of grandeur.

But the press loves colorful characters and, as an unlikely terrorist, LaRose does not disappoint. Not only is she blond and blue-eyed -- "like the Midwest farmer's daughter the Beach Boys sang about," writes one columnist -- The Washington Post tells us that she is "4 feet 11 inches tall" (the Philadelphia Inquirer says 5'2) and weighs "barely more than 100 pounds." She's been married "at least twice" (once at the tender age of 16) and has a criminal record that includes bouncing checks at Pizza Hit in Texas as well as drunk driving.

She is described as a sad and solitary woman -- she tried to overdose on pills in 2005 -- who more recently, according to neighbors, had a live-in "companion," who could sometimes be seen retrieving her from the street outside their home, where she would take occasional drunken walks.

Other press reports tell us she talked to her cats (a damning revelation, for sure).

Yes, LaRose made contacts and traveled overseas in the name of her plot. Seven people were arrested in Ireland on Tuesday in connection with it. ("Of these," reports the Christian Science Monitor, "one is reported to be an American woman married to an Algerian, who was also arrested.") The allegations against her are serious enough. But how close she came to carrying out her plot is unclear.

"From what's known about her so far, Colleen Renee LaRose is not coming off as the sharpest jihadist in the suburbs," quipped Philadelphia Inquirer staff writers on Thursday, quoting "a person close to the investigation" as saying, "She's had a hard life, so tough that her life story is like a country music song."

Indeed, given some of her internet outpourings, she seemed as much in search of romance as she was of jihad. According to federal indictment, LaRose agreed to live in Europe and marry one her terror recruits to give him residency.

It's too early to draw any real conclusions about this case. But some of its implications are becoming clear.

For example, the case ought to give serious pause to those continued, unabashed fans of racial profiling -- particularly those who were so vocal after the Ft. Hood shootings and the foiling of the Christmas day bomb plot. As ThinkProgress reminded us yesterday, "Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's (R) response to the Ft. Hood shooting was 'profile away'" and Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK) said that while he knows "it's not politically correct to say it, I believe in racial and ethnic profiling."

It's not just right wing rhetoric. In January, the Obama administration made it official policy to add extra screening -- including full body pat-downs -- of citizens traveling from 14 mostly Muslim nations.

Politically, the fact that LaRose does not fit the description of those most commonly suspected of being terrorists is unlikely to change these policies. Instead, politicians are more likely to use it to serve another meme that is growing in popularity: the rise of the homegrown terrorist.

"I'll tell you, the threat of homegrown terrorism is real," Republican Congressman Charlie Dent told MSNBC host David Shuster on Thursday. Dent represents the community where LaRose lived. His sister lives there; he describes it as a "lovely" place.