FBI foils alleged ISIS-inspired bomb plot targeting New York Capitol

Federal police arrested a 35-year-old woman in connection with a plot to bomb the New York State Capitol, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court Thursday.

Prosecutors allege in the complaint Jessica Bowie, a resident of Albany, planned to bomb the building and harm officials. They say she told an informant she supported ISIS before asking for assistance to make explosives.

Bowie is formally charged with one count of attempting to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization. The charge carries a statutory maximum fine of $250,000 and 20 years in prison with a lifetime supervised release.

“Today, the U.S. Department of Justice and FBI announced the arrest of an individual who allegedly plotted an attack on the New York State Capitol,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) wrote in a Wednesday statement posted to social platform X.

“While there is no immediate threat at this time, we will continue working closely with our law enforcement partners to protect New Yorkers and keep our communities safe,” she concluded.

FBI special agent Joshua Parker, assigned to the Joint Terrorism Task Force in Albany, detailed in the complaint how Bowie was identified as a suspect and the a sting operation to arrest her.

Bowie reportedly converted to Islam five years ago and formally made an oath of allegiance to ISIS in May.

An FBI informant communicated with Bowie from July 16 to Aug. 17, revealing that Bowie messaged that she wanted to “target my state capitol” which was “less than two miles” from her home. Within this time frame, she allegedly walked around the New York State Capitol approximately five separate times.

Other accounts that police tied to Bowie messaged users in Arabic saying, “Praise to be Allah for September 11th” and “When I can migrate, I will poison these infidels.”

She met with two other informants in person, who recorded the meeting. In that meeting, she allegedly indicated she wanted to target other prominent buildings in the future such as the White House.

“As alleged, Bowie plotted to deploy an explosive device at the New York State Capitol … before fleeing to ISIS‑controlled territory in Syria,” Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Eisenberg said Thursday .

The complaint stated she told agents in an interview after her arrest, “There’s no helping me. You guys know enough, there’s no helping me, I’m … going to prison for the rest of my life.”