'I will poison infidels': Woman's sinister messages lay bare alleged NY Capitol bomb plot

Warning: Graphic content, readers’ discretion advised

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: From asking whether an online oath would really make her a member of a violent group to allegedly declaring “I will poison these infidels,” Jessica Bowie's messages paint a disturbing picture of how authorities say her online radicalization evolved into an alleged plan to attack the New York State Capitol.

The messages were detailed in a federal criminal complaint unsealed on Thursday, August 20, giving investigators’ account of conversations Bowie allegedly had with undercover informants posing as members of the group she claimed to support.

The social media sites on which Bowie exchanged these messages have not been named so far.

Jessica Bowie allegedly pledged allegiance, discussed 'poisoning'

Some of the most revealing exchanges allegedly began online in late May, when Bowie was contacted by a person she believed was connected to the Islamic State.

According to the federal complaint, the unidentified user instructed Bowie to repeat an Arabic oath pledging allegiance to the group’s leader and promising to “listen and obey.”

Bowie’s response was strikingly matter-of-fact. “So, I’m just saying this?” she allegedly asked.

When the person explained that reciting the words would mean joining the group, Bowie reportedly asked again: “Saying this means joining the group?”

“Yes,” the person responded, according to the complaint. Bowie then allegedly sent an audio recording of herself reciting the oath.

The messages allegedly became far more alarming as her plans developed.

“When I can migrate, I will poison these infidels,” Bowie allegedly wrote in one exchange.

The statement, according to investigators, reflected her alleged desire to eventually leave the United States and reach territory controlled by the group.

In another alleged post, Bowie praised the September 11 attacks.

By July, prosecutors allege that Bowie’s online conversations had moved from expressions of allegiance to discussions about an actual target.

The target, according to the complaint, was the New York State Capitol in Albany.

Investigators say Bowie visited the Capitol roughly five times between July 21 and August 9, photographing the building and sending dozens of images to an FBI informant she believed was connected to the group.

Jessica Bowie allegedly planned a mass-casualty attack

The complaint says Bowie also discussed the possibility of killing large numbers of people inside the Capitol.

At one point, she allegedly questioned the point of carrying out an attack if it resulted in only a handful of deaths.

On August 5, Bowie allegedly went to a Home Depot with $200 supplied by an undercover source and purchased materials prosecutors say were intended to help construct an explosive device.

After returning, she allegedly asked an informant: "I hope the nails are big enough … because the nails work as shrapnel, right?"

The chilling conversations were not obtained from Bowie publicly posting her plans and investigators simply discovering them afterward.

They are described in the federal criminal complaint, which lays out communications between Bowie and undercover FBI sources.