The face of jihad in America took on an unexpected look this week. The usual bearded, alienated-looking male loner gave way to an angry woman with big hair.

Colleen LaRose of Montgomery County near Philadelphia doesn't look like a typical jihadist. Her blond tresses and blue eyes make her look more like a singer with ABBA than someone capable of plotting a terrorist attack in Sweden -- an allegation that has landed her in FBI custody.

Ms. LaRose came to the attention of the FBI because of her inflammatory blog, YouTube video and unusual screen name: JihadJane. U.S. intelligence monitored her movements overseas when she traveled to Europe and tracked her communications with an alleged jihadist contact in South Asia.

In pitching her services, Ms. LaRose boasted that she could mix with the civilian population and not attract attention. All she needed was a mission and a chance to prove her willingness to die for the cause.

Ms. LaRose is accused of conspiring to support a plot to kill Lars Vilks, a Swedish artist who depicted the Prophet Muhammad as a dog to test the limits of artistic expression in his country in 2007. She was arrested at a New York airport in October before the plot unfolded. Her arrest was kept secret until this week when her indictment was unsealed. Several alleged accomplices were arrested in Ireland.

The existence of a "JihadJane," a home-grown terrorist sympathizer from the suburbs of Philly who allegedly joined a terrorist plot overseas is disturbing. It also marks an evolution in jihadist tactics. How many U.S. women, like Ms. LaRose, might be open to being recruited via the Internet?

Americans need to understand the appeal of this movement to people like her. The next JihadJane may not be as easy to spot.

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