Federal law enforcement authorities arrested a woman who allegedly plotted to carry out an attack at the New York State Capitol in Albany that would kill elected representatives.
The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force thwarted the domestic terror scheme when officers arrested 35-year-old Jessica Bowie in Albany on Wednesday, hauling off the plus-sized Islamic convert who pledged allegiance to ISIS and discussed disguising a bomb in a DoorDash delivery bag to perpetrate the attack when state senators were meeting.
She was charged with “attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, ISIS,” the Justice Department said.
🚨Albany, New York Woman Charged with ISIS-Inspired Terror Plot Targeting New York State Capitol
“As alleged, Bowie plotted to deploy an explosive device at the New York State Capitol, intending to kill public officials and to destroy ‘as much of the building as possible’ before… pic.twitter.com/g0vO3UUhSl
— National Security Division, U.S. Dept of Justice (@DOJNatSec) August 20, 2026
According to Fox News, Bowie “converted to Islam about five years ago and began going by the name ‘Aisha Saif.’ The affidavit also said that on May 28, 2026, Bowie, using 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.'”
“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,” Fox News reported. “The next day, Bowie delivered DoorDash bags that she said could be used to conceal the device, according to the complaint.”
“She told the source that she went from a little girl waving American flag after nine over 11 to now having stickers of the fallen towers. Folks, let that sink in. Again, Miss Bowie didn’t just want to kill lawmakers. She wanted a complete disruption of our government,” FBI Special Agent in Charge Craig Tremaroli said.
(Video: YouTube/NBC News)
“Through the course of the investigation and as alleged in the government’s complaint, investigators learned that Bowie had intended to conduct the attack before fleeing to Syria to join others in ISIS-controlled territories. She was observed making several visits to the New York State Capitol grounds and taking several photographs of the building,” the Justice Department said in a Thursday press release.
“In describing the New York State Capitol building as her target, Bowie stated: ‘I want to destroy as much of the building as possible and kill the senators while they are meeting. I want them to lose a lot of important documents as well’ and ‘I want it to have a affect on the American system. And destroy some of the taghut,’” the press release continued.
“Jessica Bowie has expressed anti-American messages online. On one account identified as belonging to Bowie, she said, ‘Praise be to Allah for September 11th’ and ‘When I can migrate, I will poison these infidels.’ Further, Bowie recorded and disseminated to others online her ‘Bayah,’ or formal oath of allegiance to ISIS,” according to the complaint, the DOJ stated.
Bowie made her initial appearance in federal court in Albany on Thursday over what the FBI described as the “ISIS-inspired” terrorist plot.
“Thanks to the brilliant work of @FBIAlbany and our partners – this FBI stopped yet another alleged terrorist attack,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a Thursday post to X.
Thanks to the brilliant work of @FBIAlbany and our partners – this FBI stopped yet another alleged terrorist attack.
Last night the FBI arrested an individual – Jessica Bowie – who allegedly swore allegiance to ISIS and planned to carry out a deadly attack with explosives on the…
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) August 20, 2026
“As alleged, Bowie plotted to deploy an explosive device at the New York State Capitol, intending to kill public officials and to destroy ‘as much of the building as possible’ before fleeing to ISIS‑controlled territory in Syria,” Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg said in a statement. “The National Security Division and our law-enforcement partners are committed to the painstaking work of preventing plots like this from succeeding and securing convictions against those who attempt such plots.”
“The FBI detected and stopped an alleged plot to attack the New York State Capitol and kill elected officials,” Operations Director Matt Fodor of the FBI National Security Branch said. “According to the criminal complaint, the defendant in this case swore allegiance to ISIS and wanted to follow up with additional horrific acts of terrorism.”
“Today, the U.S. Department of Justice and FBI announced the arrest of an individual who allegedly plotted an attack on the New York State Capitol. I’m grateful to the FBI for leading this investigation and to the New York State Police for their work to apprehend this dangerous individual,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement posted to X on Thursday.
“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 added.
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