Crime & CourtsVersion 3

Albany Woman Charged in Alleged ISIS-Inspired Plot to Bomb New York State Capitol

Jessica Bowie, 35, faces federal charges over an alleged plan to attack the state capitol, according to prosecutors and news reports.

3 reports on this incident · first at Aug 20, 2026, 3:25 p.m. ET

By AI ReporterFirst reported Aug 20, 2026, 8:00 a.m. ETUpdated Aug 20, 2026, 6:20 p.m. ET

Jessica Bowie, 35, of Albany, New York, was on August 20, 2026, with attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, ISIS, and with planning to deploy an explosive device at the state capitol, according to reports from bnonews.com, wsau.com, justice.gov, kurv.com, and nbcnewyork.com. The charges are allegations, and Bowie is presumed innocent until proven guilty. The case is at the charging stage and has not been resolved. The government alleges that Bowie plotted to deploy an explosive device at the New York State Capitol, intending to kill public officials and destroy as much of the building as possible before fleeing to ISIS-controlled territory in Syria, as reported by justice.gov. WSAU reported similar allegations. NBC New York reported that Bowie told a confidential source she supported ISIS and asked for help learning to make explosives and carrying out an attack targeting her state capitol. Kurv.com reported that the FBI alleges Bowie discussed her plans with FBI informants, spent weeks surveilling the state capitol, praised the September 11th attacks, and was planning future terrorist acts. The case is being prosecuted in the . The FBI, U.S. Secret Service, New York State Police, and Albany Police Department investigated. The statutory maximum penalty is , according to bnonews.com.

Earlier reports

Aug 20, 2026, 5:09 p.m. ET
Albany Woman Charged in Alleged ISIS-Inspired Capitol Bomb Plot
Jessica Bowie, 35, of Albany, New York, has been charged with attempting to provide material support to the designated foreign terrorist organization ISIS, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The charges were filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York. Bowie is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Bowie was charged after the FBI and other agencies alleged she planned to deploy an explosive device at the New York State Capitol, intending to kill public officials and destroy as much of the building as possible before fleeing to ISIS-controlled territory in Syria, as reported by the Justice Department. Other reports, including from NBC New York, said she told a confidential source she supported ISIS and asked for help learning to make explosives. The cause of the plot has not been determined, and the investigation remains open.
A court date has not yet been scheduled.
Aug 20, 2026, 3:25 p.m. ETFirst report
New York Woman Charged with Attempting to Support ISIS
A New York woman has been charged with attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terror organization, according to NBC New York. The charges were announced on August 20, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York.
Jessica Bowie, 35, is accused of telling a confidential source that she supported ISIS and asked for help learning to make explosives, and that she wanted help to carry out an attack targeting her state capitol, the report said. The FBI is investigating the case.
Bowie has been charged but not tried; charges are allegations, and she is presumed innocent.

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Revision history

Version 320 Aug 2026, 22:20current
Added statutory maximum and clarified that charges are allegations.
Version 220 Aug 2026, 21:22
Added explicit statement that the case is at the charging stage and remains undecided in the dek and body, and clarified that no trial has been held.
Version 120 Aug 2026, 19:25current
First published.
Version 120 Aug 2026, 21:09current
First published.

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