A U.S. Department of Justice press release revealed that Jessica Bowie, a 35-year-old woman, had planned to bomb the New York State Capitol and kill lawmakers. The criminal complaint detailed that Bowie intended to destroy as much of the building as possible during congressional sessions, target senators, and cause significant damage while also seeking to destroy critical documents.
Bowie allegedly aimed to escape to ISIS-controlled territory in Syria after completing her attack. She pledged allegiance to ISIS and posted anti-American messages including “Praise be to Allah for September 11th.” According to the press release, Bowie described her plan to an informant: “I want to destroy as much of the building as possible and kill the senators while they are meeting. I want them to lose a lot of important documents as well.” She also stated she sought to “have an effect on the American system” and “destroy some of the taghut,” which the agent said refers to anything diverting attention from Allah.
The complaint noted Bowie allegedly scanned items at a Home Depot for nails to be included in her bomb device. She was arrested Wednesday near her residence on Sherman Street after being identified as possessing what she believed to be an explosive device. Bowie appeared in federal court Thursday and faces charges of providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, with a potential sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted.
The FBI National Security Branch stated: “This case is yet another example of how this FBI is built to not only identify threats of terrorism quickly, but to stop their alleged plots before they are able to harm the American people.” FBI Director Kash Patel added: “In 2026 we’ve already disrupted 400+ such attacks at home and around the world.”
