Alleged ISIS-inspired plot to bomb New York State Capitol a reminder of terror group’s persistence

A New York woman made an appearance in federal court this week after she was charged with attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.

Jessica Bowie, 35, of Albany, New York, was arrested on Aug. 19 as she was attempting to obtain what the feds believe was an explosive device, intending to blow up the New York State Capitol and kill New York State senators, the Department of Justice announced Thursday.

She wanted to “destroy as much of the building as possible and kill the senators while they are meeting,” her writings reveal

“As alleged in the criminal complaint, Ms. Bowie swore her allegiance to ISIS and developed a detailed plan to attack the New York State Capitol to kill lawmakers and disrupt our government,” Craig Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Albany Field Office, said in a statement. “Make no mistake about it, Ms. Bowie’s alleged plot was serious, it was dangerous, and thanks to FBI Albany’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), it was foiled. Let this investigation send a clear message that FBI Albany, together with our Joint Terrorism Task Force partners, will relentlessly investigate and arrest anyone supporting and conspiring with terrorists.”

FBI officials allege in the complaint that the federal government learned Bowie was planning an attack on the New York State Capitol building in the hopes of killing state senators before fleeing to an ISIS-controlled territory. Federal investigators observed her photographing the State Capitol during several visits. 

Bowie’s alleged writings, obtained by federal investigators, stated she wanted to “destroy as much of the building as possible and kill the senators while they are meeting” and wanted “them to lose a lot of important documents as well.” She also wanted the explosion “to have a [sic] affect on the American system. And destroy some of the taghut.” In Arabic, taghut refers to any religion or gods worshipped other than Allah.

Bowie also allegedly disparaged America online, posting comments such as “Praise be to Allah for September 11th” and “When I can migrate, I will poison these infidels.” She also gave others her “Bayah,” a formal declaration of allegiance to ISIS.

Bowie has been detained pending further proceedings. If convicted, she faces up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a lifetime of supervised release.

Social media making radicalization easier

Former New York Police Department detective Tom Smith told “Fox & Friends” on Friday that ISIS knows how to use social media to recruit Americans.

“That’s the dangerous part of this, because back before 9/11, to be recruited, you had to be recruited, then go to a training camp on the other side of the world, somewhere in the Middle East” Smith said. “Right now, it's at the click of a button on a computer, and that’s the dangerous part.”

It is not the first ISIS-inspired attack that was thwarted in New York this year. In March, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch announced that federal charges had been filed against two men who were planning an IED attack at New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s residence, Just the News reported at the time. Emir Balat, 18, and Ibrahim Kayumi, 19, both from Pennsylvania, were charged with five counts, including knowingly attempting to provide material support or resources to ISIS.

While ISIS lost its “caliphate” in Iraq and Syria under the first Trump administration, remote cells still operate underground. In December, for example, members of ISIS perpetrated deadly attacks in Syria and Australia, NBC reported at the time.