The FBI arrested an Albany woman accused of plotting an ISIS-inspired bombing attack on the New York State Capitol, foiling the plot before it could begin.
The FBI has arrested a 35-year-old Albany woman accused of plotting an ISIS-inspired bombing attack on the New York State Capitol, federal officials announced Thursday. Jessica Bowie was charged with one count of attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, according to a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York.
Investigators say Bowie pledged allegiance to ISIS, surveilled the Capitol for weeks, and bought bomb-making materials before accepting what she believed was an operational explosive device from undercover agents. The device was inert, and Bowie was taken into custody without incident on Wednesday. Authorities said there is no immediate threat to the public.
The case unfolded over roughly five weeks as FBI agents and the Joint Terrorism Task Force in Albany ran an undercover operation against Bowie. According to the complaint authored by FBI Special Agent Joshua Parker, Bowie began communicating in mid-July with a confidential source posing as an ISIS facilitator, telling the source she wanted help building a bomb to attack the Capitol.
In one exchange, Bowie allegedly wrote that she wanted to "destroy as much of the building as possible and kill the senators while they are meeting." Court documents say she hoped to strike while lawmakers were inside, disguised as a food delivery worker, and planned to hide the device in a delivery bag at a main Capitol entrance.
Prosecutors said Bowie hoped to kill at least half of the roughly 200 people she believed would be in the building, then flee the country. The complaint states she discussed escaping to Syria after the attack.
The investigation documented weeks of preparation. Bowie allegedly photographed the Capitol from multiple vantage points, including an observation hall nearby, and sent the images to the undercover source. On August 5, she met with two additional FBI sources and directed them to a hardware store in Rensselaer, where she used funds supplied by the sources to buy nails, electrical tape, a battery, and acetone for the device.
Days later, she asked the source about obtaining a concealable handgun to use if police approached her during the operation. On August 19, Bowie provided $150 for a firearm, magazine, and ammunition, and paid another $200 to fund construction of additional devices. She then accepted an inert explosive device and an inert handgun from the agents, along with instructions on how to detonate it.
When she exited the vehicle near her home on Sherman Avenue, FBI agents moved in. A search of Bowie after her arrest turned up knives and a handwritten pledge of allegiance to ISIS, according to the complaint.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul credited the FBI and New York State Police for stopping the plot. "I'm grateful to the FBI for leading this investigation and to the New York State Police for their work to apprehend this dangerous individual," she said, adding that her administration has increased security around the Capitol and other government buildings amid a rise in political violence and threats against public officials.
Federal prosecutors described the alleged plot as deeply disturbing and an attack on democracy itself. Bowie, who converted to Islam roughly five years ago and adopted the name Aisha Saif, allegedly told agents after her arrest that she already knew the consequences, saying, "Material support is up to 20 years in prison, I already Googled it before. I know I'm going to jail."
Bowie appeared in federal court Thursday afternoon on the single charge of attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. She faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted, and she was being held pending further proceedings.
The case is another reminder of the constant threat assessments federal law enforcement runs against would-be attackers inspired by foreign terror groups online. The FBI's joint task force model, which pairs federal agents with state and local officers, proved decisive here, shutting down a potentially deadly attack before a single bomb was ever built.
The FBI arrested an Albany woman accused of plotting an ISIS-inspired bombing attack on the New York State Capitol, foiling the plot before it could begin.
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