RESOLVING THE LEDGER
This is one outlet's own report from Gothamist — the article as it was filed. Other outlets are covering the same event; open the full story to compare every source side by side.
See the full story · 1 sources
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC. Gothamist Listen Live Donate News Albany woman planned to bomb state capitol, federal prosecutors say By Jimmy Vielkind Published Aug 20, 2026 at 2:34 p.m. ET
Twitter Reddit Email Never miss a story Email address By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms . By Jimmy Vielkind Published Aug 20, 2026 at 2:34 p.m. ET
Twitter Reddit Email We rely on your support to make local news available to all Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
An Albany woman pledged her support to the Islamic State and then talked with undercover federal agents about blowing up the New York State Capitol building, federal prosecutors allege.
A criminal complaint filed Thursday in federal court says Jessica Bowie, 35, had a gun and a dummy explosive device after meeting with informants on Wednesday who she thought would help her carry out the attack. She was placed under arrest at the meeting.
Prosecutors charged Bowie with attempting to provide material support for a designated terrorist organization. She was arraigned Thursday before Magistrate Judge Daniel Stewart and ordered detained pending trial.
Her attorney didn’t return a message seeking comment.
The complaint says she converted to Islam approximately five years ago and recorded an Arabic message pledging her allegiance to the head of ISIS. Bowie sent messages to an FBI informant asking for help making explosives and stating that she wished to attack the State Capitol, which sits on a hill above downtown Albany.
The State Capitol includes the office of Gov. Kathy Hochul as well as the chambers where the state Senate and Assembly convene. Lawmakers typically are in session between January and mid-June. Hochul also has an office in New York City.
Bowie visited the building five times between July 21 and August 9 of this year, according to pictures from surveillance cameras included in the complaint. She told an FBI informant that she would place a bomb on a food-delivery bag by the building’s Washington Avenue entrance, the complaint says.
“I want to destroy as much of the building as possible and kill the senators while they are meeting,” she wrote to the informant, according to the complaint. “I want it to have a affect on the American system.”
Prosecutors say Bowie purchased nails and other materials she believed could be used to make a bomb earlier this month. She met with an informant on Wednesday and was subsequently arrested.
“There’s no helping me, you guys know enough,” she told agents, according to the complaint. “Material support is up to 20 years in prison, I already Googled it before, I know I’m going to jail.”
Jimmy Vielkind covers how state government and politics affect people throughout New York. He has covered Albany since 2008, most recently as a reporter for The Wall Street Journal. Jimmy led a team of reporters that won a New York Press Club award for coverage of Andrew Cuomo’s downfall and was on a team that won a Gerald Loeb Award for coverage of Amazon’s HQ2 process. A native of the Capitol Region, Jimmy has two degrees in urban planning. His position is funded by a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Reach Jimmy at [email protected] .
The nonprofit organization CAMBA reached a settlement agreement with Legal Aid over evictions of supportive housing tenants.
The billboard isn’t helping local efforts to lower the temperature, said Rabbi Margo Hughes-Robinson.
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Gothamist is a website about New York City news, arts, events and food, brought to you by New York Public Radio.
AIPROPX is an independent multi-source news index — we track, compare, and connect coverage from across the web into one place you won't find anywhere else.