An Albany woman pledged her support to 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.
“That's an attack on democracy itself, and one we will not tolerate,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney John Sarcone, the top federal prosecutor in Albany. “The American people embody an enduring spirit of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness — values fundamentally opposed by foreign terrorists, organizations such as this one [that] his defendant is accused of supporting.”
Prosecutors charged Bowie with attempting to provide material support for a designated terrorist organization. She was arraigned Thursday in Albany 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 Islamic State. 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 Gov. Kathy Hochul's office, as well as the chambers where the state Senate and Assembly convene. Lawmakers are typically in session between January and mid-June. Hochul also has an office in New York City. She thanked the FBI in a statement.
“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,” the Democratic governor 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.”
Bowie visited the building five times between July 21 and Aug. 9 of this year, according to surveillance camera footage 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 states.
“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.
“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.”
