Jessica Bowie, 35, Charged in ISIS-Inspired New York Capitol Plot

Q: How did a local woman plan to bypass historic Capitol security using just a simple food delivery bag?

She allegedly planned to exploit the routine familiarity of a food delivery by hiding an explosive in a DoorDash-style bag and carrying it into or near the New York State Capitol as if it were an ordinary delivery. According to federal prosecutors and the criminal complaint, Jessica Bowie repeatedly scoped out the Capitol, obtained bomb-making materials and discussed using the delivery bag as a disguise. Investigators say the idea was to make the device appear harmless and everyday, potentially lowering suspicion long enough to get close to lawmakers while the state Senate was meeting. The significance of that method is that it did not rely on defeating the building’s historic architecture or any dramatic breach. Instead, it allegedly depended on social camouflage: using a common service item that security staff and the public routinely see. Authorities say her planning also included timing the attack for when senators were in session, which suggests she was trying to maximize casualties inside a symbolically important government building. The plot was stopped before any attack occurred. Bowie has been charged with attempting to provide material support to ISIS, and the FBI said the case involved surveillance, attack planning and statements of allegiance to the group.

3 articles · Updated · NBC News · Aug 20

Federal prosecutors charged Jessica Bowie with one count of attempting to provide material support to ISIS after alleging she sought to attack the New York State Capitol in Albany.
The criminal complaint says Bowie told an FBI confidential source posing as an ISIS facilitator that she wanted help learning to make explosives and to strike the Capitol, less than 2 miles from her.
Messages traced to Bowie between May and July allegedly voiced support for terrorism, and investigators say she communicated with the source from July 16 to Aug. 17 about harming “enemies of god.”
Prosecutors say Bowie hoped to escape after the attack and, if she evaded authorities, return to carry out more attacks; she was expected in federal court Thursday afternoon.