Federal authorities say a radicalized New York woman accused of plotting to bomb the state Capitol also discussed striking the White House and New Year’s Eve festivities in Times Square.

The chilling allegations reveal ambitions that stretched far beyond Albany, as reported by The New York Post.

Jessica Bowie, 35, was arrested Wednesday after the FBI disrupted what investigators described as an ISIS-inspired plot. Authorities say she wanted to attack the Capitol “on a day when the most senators are there.”

According to the federal complaint, Bowie planned to conceal an explosive device inside a DoorDash food delivery bag.

This is insane. Jessica Bowie, 35, was arrested in an ISIS-inspired plot to bomb the New York State Capitol. The DOJ says she pledged allegiance to ISIS, surveilled the Capitol, gathered bomb-making materials and wanted to kill state senators before fleeing to Syria.

This was… pic.twitter.com/szoZRlOS0n — Clown World ™ (@ClownWorld) August 21, 2026

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The ordinary packaging was allegedly intended to help the bomb blend into the surroundings while lawmakers and staff were inside the building.

Bowie, an Albany resident who converted to Islam about five years ago and used the Islamic name Aisha Saif, allegedly developed the scheme with FBI informants for approximately two weeks.

Law enforcement had reportedly monitored her for five weeks before making the arrest.

Investigators say Bowie had considered an escape route to Syria if the Capitol attack succeeded.

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She also allegedly contemplated returning to the United States later to conduct additional large-scale acts of terrorism, apparently treating one mass casualty plot as merely the opening act.

During an August 5 meeting with two informants, Bowie allegedly said she could “come back in the future and do more.”

One possible target she discussed was “New Year’s Eve in Times Square,” where enormous crowds gather each year.

Times Square can attract as many as 1 million visitors for the annual celebration, making the location an obvious nightmare scenario for security officials.

The alleged interest in such a crowded event showed that maximizing carnage was apparently central to her thinking.

Bowie allegedly selected the New York State Capitol because it was “the biggest political building that I know of around that area.”

Yet she reportedly told an informant she would have preferred the “White House with the President,” while acknowledging “that’s an even harder job.”

“Maybe in the future we go back for that,” she allegedly said. Federal authorities also claim Bowie believed an attack in Albany could kill at least half of the roughly 200 people she expected might be inside the Capitol.

On the same day she discussed those possible targets, Bowie allegedly bought bomb materials at a Home Depot in Rensselaer while wearing a burqa.

First Assistant US Attorney John A. Sarcone III said authorities believe she was “radicalized online,” a familiar pipeline that officials still struggle to contain.

Before agents moved in, Bowie allegedly paid an informant $200 to assist a bombmaker with financing explosives for future operations.

According to the complaint, she said she “wishes she could fund a big operation,” another indication that the alleged Capitol scheme was not her only aspiration.

Following her arrest, Bowie appeared to offer investigators a partial confession about the trouble she faced.

“There’s no helping me, you guys know enough, there’s no helping me, I’m…going to prison for the rest of my life,” she allegedly told the FBI.

“Material support is up to 20 years in prison; I already Googled it before, I know I’m going to jail,” Bowie allegedly added.

Her comments suggest she had researched not only terrorist activity, but also at least some of the federal consequences that could follow.

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Jessica Bowie went from a little girl waving an American flag after 9/11… to sticking images of the falling towers on her stuff and pledging allegiance to ISIS. She converted to Islam five years ago. In the last 4-6 months the radicalization turned into mobilization.… pic.twitter.com/GBnwAONCuv — Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) August 21, 2026

The arrest came about one month after another radicalized upstate New York woman was charged in a separate terrorism case.

Catherine Beth Washburn, 37, allegedly donated $30,000 in cryptocurrency to Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza, according to federal authorities.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul thanked the FBI and other law enforcement agencies for stopping the alleged Capitol attack.

“Earlier this year, amid a rise in political violence and threats against public officials, we took steps to strengthen security at the State Capitol and across state government,” she said.

“While there is no immediate threat at this time, we will continue working closely with our law enforcement partners to protect New Yorkers and keep our communities safe.”

The FBI intervention appears to have prevented a potentially catastrophic attack, but the broader threat from online radicalization remains stubbornly real.

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