FBI Arrests NY Woman Plotting to Bomb Albany State Capitol




Woman in a black niqab with a shopping trolley buying bomb‑making parts
Police images show Jessica Bowie carrying a shopping trolley in the background of a local hardware store.



The FBI has arrested a New York woman who was allegedly planning to bomb the state capitol building in Albany. Prosecutors allege that Jessica Bowie, 35, has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group (IS) and is charged with providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organisation.



Bowie repeatedly surveilled the building in advance, carrying a fake bomb and a defective gun supplied to her by undercover agents. In a criminal complaint, she allegedly told the agents she wanted to “destroy as much of the building as possible and kill the senators.”




Albany statehouse with a statue of a horse
The Albany state capitol building where the alleged plot was aimed.



It is unclear whether she will fight the charges. She is from Albany in upstate New York, talked to FBI informants and spent weeks with agents posing as IS members. She chose the statehouse because she believed it would be an easier target than the White House. She told the agents she wanted to have “an effect on the American system” and visited the building at least five times for reconnaissance.



As part of her plan, she used a food delivery bag to hide her bomb and was supplied with bomb‑making material from a local hardware store, where undercover agents allegedly gave her $200 to buy nails they deemed suitable as shrapnel.



She was arrested on Wednesday with knives, a written oath of allegiance to IS, and a DoorDash bag for the bomb. She has been described as a frequent social media user who espoused anti‑American messages, praising the 9/11 attacks and posting stickers of falling towers—platforms had banned her for violating terms of service.



“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,” Governor Kathy Hochul wrote on X, stressing the importance of strengthening security at the state Capitol amid rising political violence.