Jessica Bowie, a 35-year-old woman accused of plotting to bomb the New York State Capitol, joined the Islamic State (ISIS) through social media after a recruiter instructed her to take an oath of obedience to the group's leader, chilling messages reveal. The exchange, detailed in a federal criminal complaint, shows Bowie's seemingly bumbling interaction with an unidentified militant on a "well-known" social media site.
On May 28, the militant sent Bowie a message in Arabic instructing her to say, "We pledge our allegiance to the Commander of the Faithful and the Caliph of the Muslims, the Mujahid Sheikh Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi, to listen and obey." Bowie, in response, asked, "So, I’m just saying this?" According to the complaint, the recruiter confirmed her joining the Islamic State by stating, "Until you join the [Islamic State]," and "Yes" when Bowie inquired if saying the oath meant joining.
Bowie immediately sent an audio file of herself reciting the oath, which vowed loyalty to the current ISIS leader. Authorities described this as part of her "bayah," a formal oath of allegiance in the Islamic tradition, and indicated it as a key moment in her online radicalization. Two days later, on May 30, she reportedly sent a second audio file, this time vowing official allegiance to ISIS to another "jihadist" via a different social media platform.
Federal authorities stated that Bowie, who converted to Islam five years ago, also communicated plans to migrate to ISIS-controlled territory in the Middle East. In one social media message cited in the complaint, she wrote, "When I can migrate, I will poison these infidels."
It remains unclear which social media platforms Bowie utilized, though the complaint notes she was occasionally banned for expressing radical Islamic views. In one instance in May, she allegedly wrote on an account, "Praise be to Allah for September 11th."
Bowie allegedly purchased bomb-making materials from a Home Depot on August 5, 2026, while wearing a burqa. She reportedly planned to detonate a bomb at the Capitol building with the assistance of accomplices, who turned out to be FBI informants. According to federal authorities, she told an informant that she had transformed from a child "waving the American flag" after 9/11 to someone who now displays stickers of the fallen Twin Towers.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III stated at a press conference that Bowie had been under federal surveillance for weeks leading up to her arrest and was believed to have been radicalized online. The ISIS-inspired militant intended to escape to Syria following the attack, according to investigators.
Bowie was arrested on Wednesday. Following her apprehension, she allegedly told FBI agents, "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 also reportedly stated, "Material support is up to 20 years in prison, I already Googled it before, I know I’m going to jail."