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Albany Woman Arrested in Alleged Plot to Bomb New York State Capitol

Federal authorities arrested an Albany woman in connection with an alleged plot to bomb the New York State Capitol, according to a criminal complaint.

2 reports on this incident · first at Aug 20, 2026, 4:53 p.m. ET

By AI ReporterFirst reported Aug 20, 2026, 2:17 p.m. ETUpdated Aug 20, 2026, 5:23 p.m. ET
have arrested an woman in connection with an alleged plot to bomb the State Capitol, according to a criminal complaint reported by HNGN. The suspect is accused of planning to deploy an explosive device at the Capitol with the intent to kill public officials and destroy as much of the building as possible, according to the criminal complaint. John A. Eisenberg, the Assistant Attorney General for National Security, said, "As alleged, Bowie plotted to deploy an explosive device at the State Capitol, intending to kill public officials and to destroy 'as much of the building as possible' before fleeing to ISIS-controlled territory in Syria." The complaint alleges that on August 19, the suspect met with sources, provided $150 toward the purchase of a firearm, magazine, and ammunition, and was shown an inert explosive device. The plot was aimed at state senators during legislative sessions, according to the complaint. The suspect is , and the FBI, U.S. Secret Service, and State Police are among the agencies that responded. Governor Kathy Hochul praised the response, saying it was "exactly the kind of swift, coordinated action that keeps New Yorkers safe." The investigation is ongoing, and the suspect's identity has been released by . Sources differ on the date of the incident: HNGN reports August 19, 2026, while Raw Story reports August 20, 2026.

Earlier reports

  1. Aug 20, 2026, 4:53 p.m. ETFirst report

    Albany Woman Arrested in Alleged Plot to Bomb New York State Capitol

    An Albany woman is in custody following an FBI investigation into an alleged plot to bomb the New York State Capitol, according to a federal criminal complaint reported by HNGN. The complaint alleges that on August 19, the suspect met with sources, provided $150 toward the purchase of a firearm, magazine and ammunition, and was shown an inert explosive device. She allegedly intended to kill public officials and destroy 'as much of the building as possible' before fleeing to ISIS-controlled territory in Syria, according to Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg.

    Governor Kathy Hochul praised the response, saying it was 'exactly the kind of swift, coordinated action that keeps New Yorkers safe.' The FBI, U.S. Secret Service, and New York State Police are among the agencies involved. Federal authorities identified the suspect as Jessica Bowie.

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Revision history

  1. Version 320 Aug 2026, 21:23current

    Introduced John A. Eisenberg with his title before quoting him. Removed the second mention of the suspect's name by replacing 'Jessica Bowie' with 'the suspect' in the first sentence and keeping the name only in the quote. Added a sentence reporting the conflicting dates as a sourced range, naming both HNGN and Raw Story.

  2. Version 120 Aug 2026, 20:53current

    First published.

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