A New York woman plotted to bomb the state Capitol in Albany, transforming from a \u201clittle girl waving the American flag\u201d to pledging allegiance to ISIS and celebrating the 9\/11 terror attacks, the FBI said Thursday.<\/p>\n
Jessica Bowie, 35, from Albany, allegedly began strategizing the attack in July \u2014 and planned to place the bomb in a DoorDash\u00a0food delivery bag,\u00a0taking apparent glee in the bloodshed it would cause,the feds wrote in a criminal complaint.<\/p>\n
\u201cBlowing kafirs [non-Muslims] brains out is beautiful,\u201d she told someone who turned out to be an FBI informant, the complaint said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jessica Bowie, 35, was arrested for allegedly plotting an ISIS-inspired bombing in the New York state Capitol in Albany.<\/p>\n
Jessica Bowie, 35, seen purchasing nails at a hardware store on Aug. 5, 2026. FBI\/DOJ<\/p>\n
She allegedly purchased bomb materials from a Home Depot on Aug. 5 and planned the attack with the help of FBI informants for two weeks, the feds said.<\/p>\n
Bowie, who converted to Islam five years ago and was going by the Islamic name \u201cAisha Saif,\u201d also allegedly tracked the Capitol building for weeks, taking pictures from various vantage points including an \u201cobservation hall nearby,\u201d according to the complaint.<\/p>\n
Law enforcement had Bowie on their radar for five weeks leading up to her arrest and believe she was \u201cradicalized online,\u201d First Assistant US Attorney John A. Sarcone III said at a press conference Thursday evening.<\/p>\n
She sent one of the informants pictures of Downtown Albany with the Capitol circled, indicating it was the building she wanted to target, telling them she would do it on a \u201cday when we know Senators will be meeting,\u201d according to the FBI.<\/p>\n
In a message, she said she wanted to \u201cTarget my State Capitol\u2026 ideally in a way I could get away with and hop on a plane after,\u201d the complaint said.<\/p>\n
The ISIS-inspired militant planned to\u00a0escape to Syria after the attack, according to the feds.<\/p>\n
Bowie seen in Central Park Rose Garden in Schenectady on Sept. 18, 2014 \u2014 before converting to Islam and becoming radicalized. John Carl D’Annibale\/Albany Times Union via Getty Images<\/p>\n
Bowie has the word \u201cpain\u201d tattooed on her fingers. John Carl D’Annibale\/Albany Times Union via Getty Images<\/p>\n
She allegedly messaged an informant, on July 29, that she wanted \u201cto 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want to take this kind of risk and have it kill what, two or three people. What good is that?\u201d Bowie also allegedly quipped.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n
On Aug. 5, she even boasted to informants that if she was successful, she would return to plan more attacks on US soil \u2014 and target \u201cNew Year\u2019s Eve in Times Square,\u201d according to the complaint.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She would have preferred bombing the White House \u201cwith the President,\u201d but Bowie allegedly whined to one of the informants that it\u2019s \u201can even harder job.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe in the future we go back for that but I figured this is the biggest thing I can do. I can get to it easy you know,\u201d she said, according to the complaint.<\/p>\n
A search of Bowie\u2019s social media revealed many fanatical pro-radical Islamist and anti-American posts in the weeks leading up to her planned attack, according to the complaint.<\/p>\n
Bowie seen taking a photo on July 21, 2026 while she allegedly doing reconnaissance for the planned terror attack at the Capitol. FBI\/DOJ<\/p>\n
It is unclear which platforms she had accounts on, though they were often suspended for violating terms of use.<\/p>\n
On May 28, an account linked to Bowie posted, \u201cPraise be to Allah for September 11th,\u201d according to the FBI complaint.<\/p>\n
On May 8, another account believed to be Bowie told another user in Arabic, \u201cI will poison these infidels,\u201d the complaint alleges.<\/p>\n
A DoorDash bag that was allegedly intended to hold the explosive device. Lone Pine Press for NY Post<\/p>\n
The Capitol circled in photos taken by Bowie from an \u201cobservation hall\u201d when she was allegedly planning the attack. Lone Pine Press for NY Post<\/p>\n
She also discussed her belief that \u201cjihad is an obligation,\u201d and recorded herself reciting a pledge of allegiance to ISIS, according to the FBI.<\/p>\n
The FBI informants met Bowie Wednesday and gave her an inert explosive device and an inert handgun, along with instructions on how to detonate the bomb, the complaint said.<\/p>\n
During that meeting, Bowie chillingly admitted that she \u201cwent from a little girl waving an American flag after 9\/11 to now having stickers of the falling towers.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFolks, let that sink in,\u201d FBI Special Agent in Charge Albany Field Office Craig L. Tremaroli told reporters.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAgain, Ms. Bowie didn\u2019t just want to kill lawmakers; she wanted a complete destruction of our government.\u201d<\/p>\n
She was arrested Wednesday near a McDonald\u2019s not far from the Capitol building and appeared to offer a partial confession during her interview with FBI agents, according to the complaint.<\/p>\n
A transcript showing Bowie allegedly say she wants many people to die in the Albany terror attack. Lone Pine Press for NY Post<\/p>\n
An evidence photo presented by the FBI showing an apparent explosive device. Lone Pine Press for NY Post<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no helping me, you guys know enough, there\u2019s no helping me, I\u2019m\u2026going to prison for the rest of my life,\u201d she allegedly said.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaterial support is up to 20 years in prison, I already Googled it before, I know I\u2019m going to jail.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her ethnicity is unclear, but she is believed to be a US citizen, Sarcone said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Photos of Bowie at the Central Park Rose Garden in Schenectady in 2014 \u2014 seven years before she converted to Islam and became fanatical \u2014 show a different woman, snapped smelling flowers and covered in tattoos, including one that said \u201cPain\u201d on the top of her hand.<\/p>\n
Jessica Bowie, 35, is accused of plotting to bomb the New York state Capitol building in Albany. Hans Pennink for NY Post<\/p>\n