According to Xinhua, the U.S. Department of Justice issued a statement on the 20th, stating that a woman from New York State was arrested and charged with attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, for allegedly planning an attack against the New York State Capitol Building.
The person involved is 35-year-old Jessica Bowie, from Albany in upstate New York. Lawyer John Sarcone told NBC reporters on August 20 that Bowie was arrested by the FBI on August 19 at 375 Sherman Street, near her home in Albany. Law enforcement found a knife and a handwritten oath document declaring loyalty to ISIS (the extremist organization) during the search.
Jessica Boye, FBI
Boye's target this time was the Albany State Capitol in New York, as well as the state senators present. In her view, the laws they enacted were “offensive to Islam.” However, since the New York State Legislature has been adjourned since June, it is still unclear when she plans to carry out the attack.
The prosecutor also said that she chose the New York State Legislature in Albany because she felt it was a simpler option than attacking the White House. She told informants that the legislative building was less than 2 miles from her home, and she wanted to do something to “hurt God’s enemies”. For a long time, she has been active on various social media platforms, and several of her accounts were banned for violating platform rules by posting extreme content frequently.
To carry out this attack plan, Bowe carried out long-term and meticulous preparations. According to NBC reports, she visited the state capitol building five times between July 21st and August 9th to scout the area. The surveillance team observed her taking photographs in that area. From July 16th to August 17th, she began communicating with a FBI informant who was disguised as an agent of ISIS, discussing details related to the attack.
Boyd's tracking footage – FBI
According to the case files, on August 5th, Bowe met with two FBI agents. During the meeting, Bowe 'reiterated her desire to blow up the New York State Capitol Building'. She stated that she planned to choose a time when there were the most senators present to detonate the bomb, thereby causing maximum damage to the building facilities.
The criminal complaint states that she told a informant, “We absolutely want to ensure that the senator is killed.” She later added, “I don’t want to take such a risk. It would only kill two or three people. What’s the benefit for me?” She learned that the Capitol could accommodate up to 200 people, and “she hoped to take at least half of them with her.”
According to CNN, that day, a informant drove Boi to a Home Depot and lent her $200. Officials said she purchased the materials they had listed for her, including “a large plastic box filled with nails.” It is said that when she left the store, she also said to two undercover agents, “I hope the nails are big enough… because nails can serve as shards of armor, right?”
Boeh purchasing tools for the crime
Bowie later sent a message to one of his informants, asking if he could buy a “pistol and bullets, or something powerful but easy to hide, so that I could fight back if the police approached me during the operation.” Eventually, Bowie paid $150 for an ineffective gun, ammunition, and a magazine.
A informant showed Bowie an invalid explosive device, claiming it was made using supplies she purchased from Home Depot. The criminal complaint states that Bowie also donated $200 to the informant as a donation to the “so-called bomb maker”.
Facing the possibility that innocent people may be killed or injured in the attack, Bowie responded, 'I think it will definitely bother me. I know I will hear about these things later—especially if there are Muslims, children, and pregnant women involved.' However, she continued to say that she hopes Allah will forgive her.
According to the BBC, the criminal complaint states that Bowie “intended to destroy the building as much as possible and kill the senators during their meeting, as well as destroy a large number of important documents.” She also planned to place a bomb in a delivery bag that resembled a courier, and could potentially place the bomb at the main entrance of the building at the intersection of Washington Avenue and Hawk Street, before fleeing to Syria.
Agent Craig Tremaurli of the FBI’s Albany Field Division said at a press conference on the 20th, “Miss Bowie not only wants to kill legislators, she also wants to completely disrupt our government. After that, she plans to flee this country and return one day to ‘do more,’ such as attacking the White House and the President on New Year’s Eve.”
Tremaurli explained that she told her agent that she converted to Islam about five years ago, and named herself Aisha Saeed. She described herself as having changed from a little girl who waved the American flag after the 9/11 attacks to someone who now collects stickers with images of the collapse of the World Trade Centers. Bowie repeatedly swore loyalty to ISIS in English and Arabic during the recording, and once wrote, "Praise God for 9/11."
After the plot was exposed and foiled, New York State Governor Kathy Hochul responded to the arrest on social media platform X on Thursday afternoon: “I thank the FBI for leading this investigation, and I also thank the New York State Police for capturing this dangerous individual. Earlier this year, there has been an increase in violence and threats against public officials, and we have taken measures to strengthen security at the State Capitol and other state government institutions.”
New York Mayor Zalman Mamdani was shocked by this case and publicly stated that terrorism and political violence should not be allowed to flourish anywhere in the United States.
New York State House Minority Leader Ed Lara issued a statement: "This is more than just disturbing. The premeditated terrorist attack against the state capitol serves as a warning that the national system and governance concepts are facing an increasingly severe threat of violence. We thank the Federal Bureau of Investigation, state police, and all law enforcement agencies for their courage, professionalism, and cross-agency collaboration, which saved many lives."
According to relevant U.S. laws, Jessica Bowie's crimes are serious. She could face up to twenty years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and she would also be subject to a lifelong supervision and release penalty.
