US authorities arrested a 35-year-old woman for allegedly planning a terrorist attack against the New York State Capitol in Albany, the Justice Department said Thursday.
In a criminal complaint, the FBI claimed Jessica Bowie pledged allegiance to ISIS (Daesh) terrorist organization in online communications and began active planning in July. She is said to have spent weeks conducting surveillance of the Capitol, the seat of government for New York state, taking photographs from various vantage points, including a nearby observation hall.
The investigation culminated in a sting operation where FBI informants met the suspect on Wednesday. They provided her with an inert explosive device, a non-functional handgun, and instructions on how to detonate the explosive.
Agents moved to arrest Bowie immediately following the delivery of the items "with the intent of targeting the New York State Capitol and New York State Senators."
Bowie plotted to "kill public officials and to destroy 'as much of the building as possible,'" said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg.
Bowie reportedly admitted to pre-researching the legal penalties for her actions, noting that she previously searched online for the 20-year sentence associated with providing material support to a terrorist organization.
"There's no helping me, you guys know enough ... I'm … going to prison for the rest of my life," she was quoted as saying to investigators following her apprehension.
