An Albany woman was charged on Thursday with trying to provide material support to ISIS, a U.S. designated terror organization, by plotting to bomb the New York State Capitol and kill lawmakers, according to a federal criminal complaint.
Jessica Bowie, 35, allegedly pledged allegiance to ISIS, conducted surveillance of the Capitol and purchased materials to build an explosive device.
She was arrested on Wednesday after accepting an inert bomb and firearm from an FBI source “posing as an ISIS facilitator,” per the complaint. She told the confidential source that she would like to target the Capitol, “but ideally in a way I could get away with and hop on a plane after.”
Bowie converted to Islam about five years ago and adopted the name Aisha Saif. She described herself as an “Islamic State supporter” and mentioned jihad while discussing the attack, the Justice Department said.
“I want to destroy as much of the building as possible and kill all the senators while they are meeting,” Bowie allegedly told the FBI source.
According to the complaint, Bowie photographed the Capitol, identified a potential entrance and bought nails, electrical tape, a battery and acetone. Prosecutors said that she intended to conceal a bomb in a food delivery bag and hoped to flee to Syria.
The complaint also alleges that Bowie sought a gun to confront police during the attack, and hoped to kill at least half of the 200 people she believed would be inside the building.
After her arrest, Bowie told agents that “material support is up to 20 years in prison” and that “I already Googled it before. I know I’m going to jail,” the Justice Department said.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul thanked law enforcement and said that “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 added that there is no immediate threat.
