Albany Woman Arrested in Plot to Bomb State Capitol

Federal authorities on Thursday arrested an Albany woman accused of planning to bomb the New York State Capitol, court documents show.

Jessica Bowie, 35, is charged with attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. Prosecutors say Bowie, who converted to Islam about five years ago and took the name Aisha Saif, declared her loyalty to the ISIS leader in social media posts from May and July that investigators linked to her.

Beginning July 16, Bowie began sharing details of her attack plot with an FBI confidential source, and those conversations continued at least through Aug. 17. She told the source she was building explosives and sent photos of the Capitol that she claimed to have taken herself. FBI surveillance teams and cameras documented her visiting the Capitol grounds on several separate occasions.

Court documents quote Bowie as writing that her goal was to inflict maximum damage on the building and kill state senators while the Legislature was in session. She described a plan to pose as a food delivery worker and leave the bomb at the main entrance near Washington Avenue and Hawk Street.

On Aug. 5, she allegedly purchased bomb-making materials at a hardware store. The following Wednesday, FBI informants handed Bowie a non-functional explosive device and a non-functional handgun, as well as instructions for detonation. She was taken into custody shortly after that exchange.

When questioned, Bowie appeared to grasp at least some of what she was facing. "There's no helping me, you guys know enough," she said, 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."

First Assistant U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III and FBI Special Agent in Charge Craig Tremaroli of the Albany Field Office announced the charges Thursday afternoon.

Gov. Kathy Hochul expressed gratitude for the efforts of the FBI and the New York State Police in bringing the case together. "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," Hochul said.