Governor Hochul speaks after ISIS-linked plot stopped
New York Governor Hochul spoke after a woman was arrested in connection with an alleged ISIS-inspired plot to bomb the state Capitol building.
The U.S. Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation announced the arrest of a woman accused of plotting an attack on the New York State Capitol on Thursday, Aug. 20.
Jessica Bowie, 35, of Albany, was taken into custody near her residence in the city of Albany on Wednesday, Aug. 19, in connection to the alleged plot that is connected to the foreign terrorist organization, ISIS, according to court records filed by the FBI.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said there is no immediate threat and her office “will continue working closely with our law enforcement partners to protect New Yorkers and keep our communities safe.”
“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,” Hochul added.
Bowie has been charged with one count of attempting to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization, First Assistant U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III told reporters on Thursday, and is currently being held in the Schenectady County Jail.
The investigation, which began just over a month ago, officials say, remains active and ongoing and involves figuring out whether Bowie acted alone.
What FBI, DOJ officials say happened
According to Sarcone, Bowie plotted to use an explosive device to attack the state Capitol and state senators but declined to provide further information as to when the planned attack was expected to take place.
“The allegations in this complaint are deeply disturbing,” Sarcone said. “That someone would harbor such hatred toward our way of life and seek to target the New York State Capitol and New York State senators — that’s an attack on democracy itself and one we will not tolerate.”
While Sarcone said Bowie’s ethnicity was not known, she “appears to be” a U.S. citizen. The FBI Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office Craig L. Tremaroli said Bowie converted to Islam five years ago, became radicalized online and her radicalization turned to mobilization around four to six months ago.
Bowie allegedly had multiple social media profiles where she expressed her hatred of Americans, with some accounts having been shut down due to terms of service violations, Tremaroli said.
Bowie had both the explosive device and a gun she asserted would be used against any law enforcement that tried to stop her in her possession, Tremaroli said. Bowie also conducted surveillance at the state Capitol at least five times, Tremaroli added, and says she planned to flee the country after the attack as well as return to the country to do additional harm.
“Make no mistake about it, Miss Bowie’s alleged plot was serious, it was dangerous, and thanks to the partnerships on the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, it was foiled,” Tremaroli said.
Bowie doesn’t appear to have had a criminal history, according to officials, and could face a maximum sentence of 20 years, a fine of up to $250,000 and a lifetime term of supervised release.
“Rest assured, anybody who’s out there who is radicalized and may be thinking of working with our enemies to commit terrorism here in the United States, we’re watching and we’re going to get you before you execute,” Sarcone said.
What court records show about alleged NY Capitol attack plot
Bowie sent social media posts showing support for terrorism between May and July, court records show, including a post in Arabic, “Praise be to Allah for September 11th.”
Bowie’s interest in attacking the Capitol was uncovered in July by an FBI confidential source posing as an ISIS facilitator through an encrypted messaging application, court records show.
In those exchanges between Bowie and the source, Bowie said she wanted to learn how to make explosives to target her state Capitol, ideally in a way she “could get away with and hop on a plane after,” court records show.
Bowie later told the source the attack would happen “when we know senators will be meeting,” court records show, while including images showing Bowie performing reconnaissance of the Capitol as part of the attack plot.
Bowie also told the source she would put a bomb in “a bag that looks like food delivery” before noting she would like to escape to Syria after detonating the bomb in the Capitol, court records show.
Bowie later met with two other FBI confidential sources in person, court records show, and the meetings were recorded for audio and video.
During one meeting, Bowie reaffirmed her desire to bomb the Capitol, saying it would ideally be “a day when the most amount of senators are there” to get a “good enough explosion to kill the senators and ideally to destroy as much of the building as possible,” court records show.
Bowie also told the source if she escaped the first attack, she could “do more” in the future, such as “New Years Eve in Times Square,” court records show.
Bowie talked about building a bomb with one of the sources, who gave her $200 to buy bomb-making items, which she did at a local Home Depot, including a large bin of nails, court records show.
On Aug. 19, Bowie met with the two sources and gave one of them $150 for a firearm, magazine and ammunition, court records show.
One of the sources also showed Bowie an “inert explosive device” that they said was built with the items she bought at Home Depot and gave her instructions on how to detonate the device, court records show.
One of the sources also asked Bowie to make a donation to support future attacks — to which she gave $200, court records show.
During the meeting in a vehicle, which was recorded, Bowie also told a source that “she went from a little girl waving an American flag after 9/11 to now having stickers of the falling towers.”
The FBI arrested Bowie when she left the vehicle and alleged she had a knife in addition to the firearm and inert explosive device.
How lawmakers are reacting to the foiled attack plot
New York Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt, R-Lockport, thanked the DOJ, FBI and law enforcement officials involved in Bowie’s arrest in a statement on Thursday.
“The announcement regarding an ISIS-inspired terrorist plot targeting our State Capitol building is not only disturbing but reinforces why law enforcement at all levels must communicate and work together for the safety and well being of New Yorkers,” Ortt said.
New York Attorney General Letitia James added: “I’m grateful to the FBI and the New York State Police for their swift action to protect New Yorkers and thwart this alleged attack on the New York State Capitol in Albany. While there is no immediate threat, we will remain vigilant and continue to keep New Yorkers safe.”
Assembly Minority Leader Ed Ra said he was “profoundly grateful” to the professionals in federal, state and local law enforcement agencies for preventing what could have been a violent and deadly terrorist attack at the State Capitol.
“It’s a reminder that every day, their courage, talent [and] collaboration saves lives,” he added.
Emily Barnes covers state government for the USA TODAY Network-New York with a focus on how policy and laws impact New Yorkers’ taxes, communities and jobs. Follow her on Instagram or X @byemilybarnes. Get in touch at ebarnes@usatodayco.com.