A woman suspected of planning a bomb attack on the New York State House on behalf of the Islamic State (IS) group has been arrested, US judicial authorities announced Thursday.
Jessica Bowie, 35, an American who converted to Islam five years ago, who then became radicalized in recent months, according to the prosecution, was arrested Wednesday and charged with “attempting to support a terrorist organization”, namely ISIS.
“Ms. Bowie planned to use an explosive device to carry out an attack on the New York State Capitol and state senators,” John Sarcone, a federal prosecutor, said at a news conference in Albany, the state capital.
She had communicated her intentions to an informant from the FBI, the American federal police, who helped her obtain a pistol and components supposed to allow her to make an explosive device, and scouted the premises several times, according to the prosecution. Jessica Bowie faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, John Sarcone said.
“I want to destroy as much of the building as possible and kill the senators while they’re meeting. I also want them to lose a lot of important documents,” she told the FBI informant in an exchange of messages, according to court documents.
She then hoped to flee to Syria in territories still controlled by ISIS, according to prosecutors.
“Make no mistake: Ms. Bowie’s alleged plan was serious, it was dangerous,” assured the head of the FBI office in Albany, Craig Tremaroli, highlighting her declarations of allegiance to ISIS, the content of her conversations with the informant, and her attempts to obtain the materials necessary for an attack.
With AFP
