The FBI arrested a woman who allegedly wanted to blow up the New York State Capitol and kill senators inside.
Jessica Bowie, a 35-year-old from the Albany area, was taken into custody on Wednesday after federal agents handed her a fake explosive device and an inert firearm, then slapped the cuffs on. She faces a single charge of trying to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, according to reports.
Here is where this story gets absolutely wild.
Bowie, an American citizen, reportedly converted to Islam roughly five years ago and started going by the name Aisha Saif. Investigators connected multiple social media accounts to her, and those accounts kept getting banned for violating platform rules. The posts that got flagged were jaw-dropping. One from May 28 read, "Praise be to Allah for September 11th." Another from May 8 declared, "When I can migrate, I will poison these infidels."
So naturally, the FBI got involved. A confidential source posed as someone who could connect Bowie with ISIS. Between July 16 and August 17, Bowie allegedly told this source she backed ISIS, had sworn a formal oath of allegiance known as "bayah" with a small group, and needed help learning how to build bombs.
She reportedly told the source the state Capitol was less than two miles from where she lived. In her own words, she wanted "to do something to benifit the ummah and hann the enemies of god." Yes, the typos are hers. She even floated the idea of carrying out the attack and then hopping on a plane to escape.
On July 29, Bowie allegedly laid out her vision in chilling detail. She wrote that her goal was "to destroy as much of the building as possible and kill the senators while they are meeting." She also talked about wiping out "important documents" and even brainstormed hiding a bomb inside a DoorDash delivery bag. Truly creative terrorism planning right there.
Bowie reportedly cased the Capitol building on roughly five separate occasions between July 21 and August 9, snapping photos from different angles, including from an observation hall nearby. She sent dozens of those images to the confidential source.
Then came the shopping spree. On August 5, she allegedly purchased nails, electrical tape, a 9-volt battery, and acetone from a hardware store, using $200 the confidential source gave her. After buying the supplies, she reportedly asked, "I hope the nails are big enough... because the nails work as shrapnel, right?"
For two more weeks, she kept talking about the plot. Then on Wednesday, the sources met with Bowie and provided her with a completely inert explosive and a fake handgun, along with detonation instructions. The FBI moved in immediately after.
Prosecutors, the FBI, Secret Service, Albany County Sheriff's Department, and Albany Police are all expected to lay out the full case at a press conference Thursday afternoon. Bowie is also scheduled for a court appearance that same day. The criminal complaint does not mention whether she has hired a lawyer yet.
The confidential source involved has a track record with the FBI, is compensated for investigative work, and used bureau-approved devices to record conversations throughout the operation.
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