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A woman has been charged with providing support to a terrorist group after she was accused of plotting an ISIS-inspired attack on the New York Capitol in Albany, federal officials said Thursday.
Jessica Bowie, 35, of Albany, is alleged to have told a confidential source that she supported the Islamic State militant group, commonly known as ISIS, and asked for help learning to make explosives, according to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York.
She was arrested Wednesday by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force in Albany, First Assistant U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone told reporters Thursday.
Bowie is expected in court Thursday afternoon on a single charge of attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.
According to the complaint, Bowie converted to Islam five years ago, became 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 says.
Several accounts alleged to trace back to Bowie posted messages expressing support for terrorism from May to July.
Bowie swore her allegiance to ISIS in multiple audio recordings in English and Arabic, and she once wrote, “Praise be to Allah for September 11,” Craig Tremaroli, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Albany field office, said at a news conference Thursday.
The complaint alleges that Bowie communicated from July 16 through Aug. 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 2 miles from her home, and she said she wanted to do something to “harm the enemies of god,” the complaint says.
The complaint alleges that Bowie visited the Capitol five times from July 21 to Aug. 9 and that surveillance teams observed her photographing the area. She is alleged to have said in messages to the source that 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,” a message included in the complaint said.
Two other confidential sources met with Bowie in Albany this month in a meeting that was recorded, the complaint says. Bowie is alleged to have said she wanted to attack the building on a day when 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 says.
“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 is alleged to have 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 says.
“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 she hoped Allah would forgive her, it says.
One of the confidential sources gave Bowie $200 to purchase bomb-making materials, which she is alleged to have done Aug. 5 at a Home Depot. She then gave the items to the confidential sources when she met with them in the days that followed, authorities say.
The complaint alleges that Bowie asked one of the sources last week about obtaining a handgun, saying she wanted the weapon “so if the cops do get towards me during the operation I can shoot back.”
She met with the confidential sources to buy a gun and ammunition Wednesday, according to the complaint.
Tremaroli said the investigation started over a month ago.
Sarcone said: “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. 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 the New York State Police.
“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, up to a $250,000 fine and a lifetime term of supervised release.
Tom Winter is NBC’s National Law Enforcement and Intelligence Correspondent.
I am a senior breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital, covering a range of news-of-the-day topics. My job is to report in a timely manner on crime, mass shootings, war coverage, domestic and international affairs, pop culture and more.
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