By A New York woman who allegedly praised the September 11 attacks, encouraged Muslims to pledge allegiance to ISIS and talked about poisoning “infidels” has been arrested after federal authorities say she moved from online jihadist propaganda to an actual plan to bomb the New York State Capitol and kill lawmakers inside.
Jessica Bowie, 35, of Albany, was arrested Wednesday after allegedly accepting what she believed was a bomb and firearm from people she thought were fellow ISIS supporters, according to frightening local reports. They were actually working with the FBI.
Federal prosecutors charged Bowie with attempting to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization. She was ordered detained following a court appearance Thursday.
According to the 21-page criminal complaint, Bowie converted to Islam about five years ago and began using the name “Aisha Saif.” By this spring, investigators say, her online activity had taken a decidedly darker turn.
In a May 8 message, Bowie allegedly wrote, “When I can migrate, I will poison these infidels.”
Less than three weeks later, she allegedly sent another message in Arabic: “Praise be to Allah for September 11th.”
Investigators say Bowie also recorded a pledge of allegiance to the leader of ISIS and described herself as an “Islamic state supporter.” She allegedly told an FBI source that she had been spreading ISIS material online, encouraging others to pledge allegiance to the terrorist organization and speaking about jihad as openly as she could “without getting arrested.”
Apparently, that was not enough.
On July 16, Bowie allegedly contacted an FBI confidential source whom she believed to be an ISIS facilitator and asked for help building explosives. She soon settled on a target remarkably close to home: the New York State Capitol, less than two miles from where she lived.
“I would like to… target my state capitol But ideally in a way I could get away with and hope on a plane after… But idk (I don’t know) if it’s doable,” Bowie allegedly wrote.
According to prosecutors, her objective was not merely to damage the building.
“I want to destroy as much of the building as possible and kill the senators while they are meeting,” she allegedly wrote. “I want it to have a affect on the American system.”
The Capitol houses the offices of Gov. Kathy Hochul as well as the chambers of the New York Senate and Assembly. Bowie allegedly told the source she wanted to attack when the largest number of senators would be present and said, “We definitely want to make sure the senators get killed for sure.”
Federal investigators say Bowie then began doing reconnaissance.
Between July 21 and August 9, she allegedly visited the Capitol five times, photographing the building and surrounding area from different locations. Surveillance footage cited in the complaint reportedly captured those visits.
Bowie allegedly considered disguising herself as a food-delivery worker and hiding the explosive inside a DoorDash-style delivery bag near an entrance to the Capitol.
By August, prosecutors say, the plot had moved beyond talk.
On August 5, Bowie met people she believed were ISIS associates and went to a Home Depot in Rensselaer, where she purchased materials she believed would be used to construct an explosive device, including a large container of nails. She also allegedly supplied delivery bags that could be used to conceal the bomb.
Two weeks later, on August 19, Bowie returned for another meeting. This time, she allegedly paid $150 for what she believed was a firearm, magazine and ammunition and accepted an inert explosive device supposedly constructed from the materials she had previously purchased.
The weapons and bomb had been rendered harmless by law enforcement.
Agents arrested her shortly after the meeting. Authorities said they recovered knives and a handwritten pledge of allegiance to ISIS along with the inert weapons.
Bowie appeared to understand immediately how much trouble she was in.
“There’s no helping me, you guys know enough… I’m going to prison for the rest of my life,” she allegedly told investigators after her arrest.
She also told agents she had already researched the punishment she could face.
“Material support is up to 20 years in prison, I already Googled it before, I know I’m going to jail.”
The allegations come amid renewed warnings about ISIS’s ability to radicalize Americans without ever bringing a trained terrorist into the country.
The U.S. intelligence community’s 2026 Annual Threat Assessment warned that the most likely terrorist attack scenario inside the United States involves lone offenders already living in the country who are inspired by foreign terrorist propaganda online. Intelligence officials said ISIS and al-Qaeda have increasingly turned to virtual recruitment and propaganda after counterterrorism operations degraded their ability to train and dispatch operatives directly.
Bowie’s arrest also is hardly the first ISIS-related case federal authorities have disrupted this year.
In March, prosecutors charged two alleged ISIS supporters with attempting to detonate explosive devices during protests outside Gracie Mansion, the official residence of New York City’s mayor. In June, three U.S. citizens in Kansas and California were arrested after prosecutors said they discussed attacks and provided money they believed would help ISIS purchase drones and rocket-propelled grenades. That same month, a New Jersey man was charged after allegedly providing a VPN to someone he believed was an ISIS member and expressing interest in attacks against American targets.
Earlier this year, federal prosecutors also charged an 18-year-old North Carolina man who allegedly planned an ISIS-inspired New Year’s Eve killing spree at a grocery store and fast-food restaurant using knives and hammers.
Hochul thanked the FBI and New York State Police on Thursday for stopping what she called “this dangerous individual” and said there was no immediate continuing threat to the public.
Bowie remains in federal custody. The case against her is based on allegations contained in a criminal complaint, and she is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
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