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A woman has been charged with providing support to a terror group after allegedly plotting an ISIS-inspired attack on the New York State Capitol building in Albany, federal officials said Thursday.
Jessica Bowie, 35, of Albany, allegedly told a confidential source that she supported ISIS and asked for help learning to make explosives, according to a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York.
She was arrested Wednesday by FBI Albany’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, John A. Sarcone the first assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New York, told reporters Thursday.
Bowie is expected in court Thursday afternoon on a single charge of attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terror organization.
According to the complaint, Bowie converted to Islam five years ago, was radicalized online and created several social media accounts using an honorific Islamic name. She appeared to have created multiple accounts because they were “frequently suspended by providers for violating their terms of use,” the complaint said.
Several accounts allegedly tracing back to Bowie posted messages expressing support for terrorism between May and July.
Bowie swore her allegiance to ISIS in multiple audio recordings in English and Arabic, and once wrote, “Praise be to Allah for September 11,” Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albany Field Office, Craig Tremaroli, said in a news conference Thursday.
The complaint alleges that Bowie communicated between July 16 through August 17 with a confidential source who was working with the FBI and posing as an ISIS facilitator.
She told the source that she wanted help to carry out an attack on the New York Capitol, according to the complaint. The building was less than two miles away from her home, and she said she wanted to do something to “harm the enemies of god,” the complaint said.
The complaint alleges that Bowie visited the Capitol five times between July 21 and Aug. 9, where surveillance teams observed her photographing the area. In messages to the source, she allegedly said she wanted to have an “affect on the American system.”
“I want to destroy as much of the building as possible and kill the senators while they are meeting,” one message included in the complaint said.
Two other confidential sources met with Bowie in Albany earlier this month in a meeting that was recorded, the complaint said. Bowie allegedly said she wanted to attack the building on a day where the most senators would be present.
She hoped to escape after the attack and, if she evaded the authorities, planned to return for future plots, the complaint said.
“Miss Bowie didn’t just want to kill lawmakers; she wanted a complete disruption of our government. And after that, she planned to flee the country and one day come back to ‘do more,’ such as New Year’s Eve in Times Square. Even stating she would come back to attack the White House and the president,” Tremaroli said.
Asked why she wanted to target the state Capitol, Bowie allegedly said, “Ideally it would be the White House with the president, but like, that’s an even harder job.”
She was also asked whether it would bother her if other people, including Muslims, died in the attack, the complaint said.
“I’d say it definitely bothers me, and I know I’m going to hear about the things after — what’s going to bother me, especially if there’s a Muslim, if there’s children, pregnant women,” Bowie responded, according to the complaint.
She went on to say, however, that Allah would hopefully forgive her, the complaint said.
One of the confidential sources gave Bowie $200 to purchase bomb-making materials, which she allegedly did on August 5 at a Home Depot. She then gave the items to the confidential sources when she met with them in the days that followed.
Last week, Bowie allegedly asked one of the sources about obtaining a handgun, saying she wanted the weapon “so if the cops do get towards me during the operation I can shoot back,” the complaint said.
She met with the confidential sources to buy a gun and ammunition on Wednesday, according to the complaint.
Tremaroli said the investigation into Bowie started over a month ago.
“I want the American people to know this: today’s announcement will have a chilling effect on anyone in this country who is being radicalized or considering acts of violence, and on our enemies whose governments support death to America,” Sarcone said. “We are vigilant, we are prepared, and just as we stop this defendant, we will continue to disrupt plots and protect the American people.”
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement Thursday she is “grateful” to the FBI and New York State Police for their work in the case.
“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 charge against Bowie carries a statutory maximum prison term of 20 years, and up to $250,000 fine and a lifetime term of supervised release.
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