Albany woman charged in alleged Capitol attack plot

Federal authorities charged an Albany woman Thursday with attempting to support the Islamic State after they said she plotted to bomb the New York State Capitol, kill state senators and damage the building before fleeing.

Jessica Bowie, 35, was arrested Wednesday by the FBI Albany Joint Terrorism Task Force and charged in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York with attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. If convicted, she faces up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and a lifetime term of supervised release.

Federal officials said Bowie planned between July 16 and Aug. 17 to attack the Capitol building in Albany using explosives. First Assistant U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone said Bowie “had plotted to use an explosive device to attack the New York State Capitol and the New York state senators.”

“The allegations in this complaint are deeply disturbing,” Sarcone said. “That someone would harbor such hatred toward our way of life and seek to target the New York State Capitol and New York state senators — that’s an attack on democracy itself, and one we will not tolerate.”

According to a criminal complaint, Bowie communicated with a confidential source working with the FBI who posed as an ISIS facilitator. She allegedly said she wanted help attacking the Capitol, which was less than two miles from her home, and wanted to do something to “harm the enemies of god.”

In one message cited in the complaint, Bowie allegedly wrote: “I want to destroy as much of the building as possible and kill the senators while they are meeting.” She also allegedly said she wanted the attack to have an “affect on the American system” and wanted important documents destroyed.

The complaint alleges Bowie visited the Capitol five times between July 21 and Aug. 9, with surveillance teams observing her taking photographs of the area. CBS News reported that the visits were captured on security cameras.

Authorities said Bowie met in person this month with two other confidential sources in Albany during a recorded meeting. She allegedly said she wanted to attack on a day when the most senators would be present and hoped to escape afterward. FBI Albany Special Agent in Charge Craig Tremaroli said Bowie planned to flee the country and return later to “do more,” including possible attacks on New Year’s Eve in Times Square, the White House and the president.

“Miss Bowie didn’t just want to kill lawmakers; she wanted a complete disruption of our government,” Tremaroli said.

When asked why she targeted the state Capitol, Bowie allegedly said, “Ideally it would be the White House with the president, but like, that’s an even harder job.”

The complaint says Bowie converted to Islam five years ago, was radicalized online and used several social media accounts, some of which were frequently suspended for violating providers’ terms of use. Officials said accounts traced to Bowie posted support for terrorism between May and July. Tremaroli said she swore allegiance to ISIS in audio recordings in English and Arabic and once wrote, “Praise be to Allah for September 11.” CBS News reported she formally made an oath of allegiance to ISIS in May.

Federal officials said a confidential source gave Bowie $200 to buy bomb-making materials, which she allegedly purchased at a Home Depot on Aug. 5 before giving the items to sources. The Guardian, citing the Justice Department, reported Bowie was apprehended after gaining possession of what she thought was an explosive device. CBS News reported she was arrested after leaving a source’s vehicle with a firearm, magazine, ammunition and a purported explosive device, and that FBI agents also found knives and a handwritten oath of allegiance on her.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said she was grateful to the FBI and New York State Police. “Earlier this year, amid a rise in political violence and threats against public officials, we took steps to strengthen security at the State Capitol and across state government,” she said. “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.”

The Guardian reported that a lawyer for Bowie could not be reached for immediate comment.