Albany Woman Arrested for Allegedly Plotting Capitol Bombing

A 35-year-old woman from Albany in upstate New York has been arrested by the FBI for allegedly planning to bomb the state capitol building in Albany. Jessica Bowie had previously pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group (IS) and was charged with providing material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organisation.

Prosecutors claim that Bowie repeatedly surveilled the building, visiting it at least five times on reconnaissance missions ahead of the attack. She allegedly told undercover agents that she wanted to 'destroy as much of the building as possible and kill the senators.'

Bowie was also given $200 by the agents to buy bomb-making materials from a local hardware store, where she bought nails that she thought would work as shrapnel. Agents posed as IS members and drove her to the Home Depot store, where she made the purchase.

The investigation found that Bowie had used social media platforms to espouse anti-American messages and praise the 11 September 2001 terror attacks by al-Qaeda. She has been banned from several platforms for violating their terms of service.