U.S. law enforcement agencies have foiled a planned terrorist attack targeting New York’s state capitol building in Albany, arresting a local woman who federal prosecutors say had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) and intended to kill state lawmakers in the assault.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation took 35-year-old Jessica Bowie, a resident of Albany, into custody this week following a months-long undercover investigation that involved confidential informants and agents posing as IS operatives, according to court documents. Prosecutors outline that Bowie spent weeks refining her attack plot, ultimately selecting the Albany statehouse as her target because she viewed it as a softer target than the White House, with her end goal being to inflict systemic damage to U.S. governing institutions.
Court records detail that Bowie conducted pre-attack reconnaissance at least five times, taking photos of the building’s layout and security protocols to prepare for the strike. She mapped out a plan to conceal an explosive device inside a DoorDash food delivery bag — a photo of which is included in the official charging documents — and intended to use large nails as shrapnel to maximize casualties.
As the investigation progressed, undercover agents provided Bowie with $200 to purchase bomb-making components from a local Home Depot hardware store, driving her to the location for the purchase. Law enforcement has released surveillance images showing Bowie pushing a shopping cart through the store while selecting the materials needed to build her explosive device. After completing her purchase, investigators quote Bowie as asking the undercover operatives, “I hope the nails are big enough… because the nails work as shrapnel, right?”
When Bowie was taken into custody on Wednesday, agents found she was carrying multiple knives, a written oath of allegiance to IS, and a fake explosive device and non-functional firearm that had been provided to her by the undercover agents as part of the sting operation.
Federal charging documents additionally note that Bowie was an active social media user who regularly spread anti-American rhetoric on public platforms. She was banned from multiple platforms for violating terms of service, and had used her accounts to praise the al-Qaeda 9/11 terror attacks. In conversations with investigators, Bowie shared that she converted to Islam approximately five years ago, and had shifted her ideology from being a patriotic child waving an American flag in the aftermath of 9/11 to displaying stickers of the collapsing World Trade Center towers to show support for terror attacks.
It currently remains unclear whether Bowie intends to enter a guilty plea or challenge the charges brought against her, which include one count of providing material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul issued a public statement thanking the FBI and New York State Police for their work disrupting the plot and taking Bowie into custody. She noted that the foiled plot comes as the U.S. has seen a rise in political violence and targeted threats against public officials, adding that her administration had already implemented new security upgrades at the Albany statehouse and across all state government facilities earlier this year to mitigate these risks.