A New York woman allegedly planned to bomb the New York State Capitol and kill state senators inside, repeatedly scouting the building and purchasing materials for an explosive device before her arrest by the FBI, according to a criminal complaint reviewed by News Outlet on Thursday.
Jessica Bowie, 35, of Albany, has been charged with attempting to provide material support to ISIS. Federal investigators say she pledged allegiance to the terrorist organization, discussed hiding a bomb in a DoorDash delivery bag and intended to strike while state senators were in session.
Bowie converted to Islam about five years ago and began using the name “Aisha Saif,” according to the affidavit. Investigators also said that on May 28, 2026, Bowie, posting under the username “nusaybahsaif” on a social media platform, told another user in Arabic: “Praise be to Allah for September 11th” and “When I can migrate, I will poison these infidels.”
Speaking at a news conference Thursday afternoon, FBI officials said Bowie’s alleged plot was not limited to an attack on the New York State Capitol. Authorities said she also expressed plans to commit further acts of violence after leaving the United States.
“She didn’t just want to kill lawmakers. She wanted a complete disruption of our government,” said Craig Tremaroli, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Albany field office.
According to the Justice Department, Jessica Bowie conducted surveillance of the New York State Capitol as part of her alleged plan to bomb the building. (Department of Justice)
According to the Justice Department, items seen in Jessica Bowie’s cart were allegedly purchased as part of her effort to build a bomb for the planned Capitol attack. (Department of Justice)
Tremaroli said Bowie allegedly intended to flee the country after bombing the Capitol, then return to “do more,” including a possible New Year’s Eve attack in Times Square. He said she also discussed targeting the White House and the president.
Tremaroli described ISIS as “one of the most vicious organizations” intent on killing Americans, undermining democracy and disrupting the country’s way of life.
“We’re moving more decisively than ever to identify, locate, arrest criminals before they can carry out their alleged plots,” Tremaroli said.
John A. Sarcone III of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York said authorities hoped the arrest would deter others considering acts of violence.
“We are vigilant, we are prepared,” Sarcone said. “And just as we stop this defendant, we will continue to disrupt plots and protect the American people.”
The alleged plot unfolded over about a month as Bowie communicated with an FBI source posing as an ISIS facilitator, according to the affidavit. Beginning in mid-July, she told the source she wanted help making explosives and identified the Capitol as her target, saying she hoped to damage the building and kill lawmakers.
Bowie allegedly began scouting the Capitol in Albany soon afterward.
Investigators said she walked around the building on roughly five separate occasions between July 21 and Aug. 9, taking photographs and studying the surrounding area and security.
In one exchange, she told the FBI source she would make a point of having picnics near the Capitol and drinking coffee nearby so she could observe the building.
She allegedly told the source she wanted to destroy as much of the Capitol as possible and kill senators while they were meeting. She also discussed putting the device in a bag that would make her look like a food-delivery worker.
On Aug. 5, investigators say, Bowie went to a Home Depot in Rensselaer using $200 provided by one of the confidential sources and bought materials she believed would be used to build the bomb, including a large container of nails.
The next day, Bowie delivered DoorDash bags that she said could be used to conceal the device, according to the complaint.
READ THE AFFIDAVIT –
On August 19, Bowie met again with the confidential sources and paid $150 for what she believed was a handgun, magazine and ammunition, investigators say. She was also shown an explosive device purportedly made from the materials she had purchased. Both the firearm and explosive device were inert.
Bowie was arrested on August 19 after leaving the meeting with the inert gun and device, according to the FBI. Agents said they found knives and a handwritten pledge of allegiance to ISIS on her.
Authorities say that Bowie told the undercover agents that she wanted to escape to Syria after the bombing.
In a press conference Thursday evening, Gov. Kathy Hochul said: “Political violence has no place in our state, and I believe this suspect should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
“Earlier this year, amid a surge in political violence and threats against public officials, we took steps to strengthen security at the state Capitol and across state government because law enforcement intercepted this alleged plot early. There was never any active danger to our state capitol. And right now, there are no specific, credible threats against the Capitol.”
In a statement, FBI Director Kash Patel praised the team that apprehended Bowie.
“This FBI is now built to act quickly with more precision than we ever have before. We have thousands of more personnel in the field, a rebuilt DSIC coordination hub to share intelligence, stronger partnerships with local law enforcement than in history, and more counterintelligence partnerships around the world than ever to find threats wherever they try to hide,” he said in an X post.
“For any individual who may be considering harming Americans in the future: know that we will find you.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer praised the FBI for stopping an ISIS-inspired suspect before she could cause harm.
“We spoke with the FBI, and thank God they’ve apprehended and arrested this person who I would say was ISIS-inspired. They don’t believe she’s a member of ISIS, but she was ISIS-inspired,” he said. “And this shows you the dangers of terrorism. We can always we must always be vigilant. This is a few weeks before 9/11, where all of us were in such pain because of what happened. And here is ISIS still at it, still trying to inspire people to do harm to us.”
And here is ISIS still at it, still trying to inspire people to do harm to us.
In a release, Schumer said that he has requested that the FBI examine any potential ties between this individual and ISIS.
“Mere weeks before the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, this is a stark reminder that we must do everything we can to ensure all Americans are protected from any threats and acts of violence, including fully funding counterterrorism programs,” he said. “New Yorkers know all too well the generational harm that terrorism can inflict on our communities, and my thoughts are with them as we continue to root out threats and keep communities safe.”
In a statement on X, Attorney General Todd Blanche said: “This is just the latest example of federal law enforcement stopping a terrorist attack in its tracks, before the unthinkable could happen. The Justice Department and our law enforcement partners will find anyone who even considers harming Americans and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.”
In a statement on X, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani wrote that there is “no place for terrorism.”
“The alleged ISIS-inspired plot to attack the New York State Capitol and kill elected officials and others is deeply alarming,” he wrote. “I am grateful to our federal and state law enforcement authorities for their vigilance and work to keep New Yorkers safe.”
The New York Capitol building is seen, June 30, 2023, in Albany, N.Y. A little-known and rarely enforced law from 1907 that makes cheating on your spouse a crime in the state of New York could soon truly be a thing of the past, after lawmakers passed a bill Wednesday, April 3, 2024, to repeal the adultery ban. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)
Bowie made her initial appearance Thursday afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daniel J. Stewart. Prosecutors argued that Bowie should be detained as a flight risk and a danger to the community and requested a detention hearing.
Judge Stewart appointed the federal public defender’s office to represent Bowie and remanded her to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. No date for her next court appearance has been set.
The charge carries a statutory maximum prison term of 20 years, a fine of up to $250,000 and a lifetime of supervised release.
