ALBANY, N.Y. (August 20, 2026) — An Albany woman made her initial appearance in federal court Thursday on charges of attempting to provide material support to ISIS, after federal authorities said she plotted to detonate an explosive device at the New York State Capitol and kill state senators.
Jessica Bowie, 35, was apprehended by law enforcement on Aug. 19 as she took possession of what she believed was an explosive device, intending to target the Capitol and New York state senators, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
According to the criminal complaint, Bowie planned to carry out the attack before fleeing to ISIS-controlled territory in Syria. Investigators said she made multiple visits to the Capitol grounds and photographed the building while conducting reconnaissance.
Bowie described her intentions in her own words, according to the complaint: “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.”
“Taghut” is an Islamic theological term, generally referring to a false god, idol or authority that rivals or defies God; in extremist usage it has been applied broadly to secular institutions and governments.
The complaint also alleges Bowie made anti-American statements online, including “Praise be to Allah for September 11th” and “When I can migrate, I will poison these infidels.” She also recorded and shared online a “Bayah,” or formal oath of allegiance to ISIS, prosecutors said.
“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,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III for the Northern District of New York said his office “looks forward to aggressively prosecuting this case,” crediting the FBI and law enforcement partners with stopping Bowie “before she was able to act on her plot to bring terror to the Capital Region and the United States.”
FBI National Security Branch Operations Director Matt Fodor said the case shows the bureau’s ability “to not only identify threats of terrorism quickly, but to stop their alleged plots before they are able to harm the American people.”
Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement that she was “grateful to the FBI for leading this investigation and to the New York State Police for their work to apprehend this dangerous individual.” In her statement, Hochul noted that the state had taken steps earlier this year to strengthen security at the Capitol and across state government, citing what she described as “a rise in political violence and threats against public officials” during that period. She said there is “no immediate threat at this time” but that the state would continue working with law enforcement partners.
The case against Bowie is charged as international terrorism — attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization — rather than a domestic political violence offense. According to the complaint, Bowie pledged formal allegiance to ISIS and intended to flee to ISIS-controlled territory in Syria after the attack.
The case is being investigated by the FBI with assistance from the U.S. Secret Service, New York State Police and the Albany Police Department. Trial Attorney Ryan D. White of the Justice Department’s National Security Division and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Richard Belliss and Joseph Hartunian for the Northern District of New York are prosecuting the case.
This article was prepared with the assistance of AI tools under the direction and editing of Robert Cox.
Have information about this story? Email robertcox@talkofthesound (preferred) or contact via WhatsApp: +353 089 972 0669.