Overview
- Jessica Bowie, 35, was arrested Wednesday after taking possession of what she believed were an explosive device and an inoperable handgun provided by undercover FBI sources.
- Prosecutors say Bowie communicated by encrypted messages from mid-July with a person she thought was an ISIS facilitator who was in fact an FBI confidential human source.
- Investigators allege Bowie photographed the Capitol on multiple visits, bought bomb components with $200 supplied by sources at a Home Depot on Aug. 5, and planned to hide a device in a food‑delivery bag to target senators.
- She is charged with one count of attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, faces a statutory maximum of about 20 years in prison, was arraigned in federal court and ordered held without bail.
- Authorities say the plot was disrupted before any device could be used, the case underscores routine FBI tactics of using covert sources and inert test devices, and the prosecution raises questions about how the material‑support law applies to lone actors inspired online.