Alleged New York ISIS bomb plotter threatened to kill roommates, blow up their apartment building: report

A New York woman facing federal charges over an alleged ISIS-linked plot to bomb the state Capitol terrorized her Albany roommates for months before her arrest and threatened to blow up their apartment building, according to two former roommates who spoke to the New York Post.

Roommates Zephyr Brennan and Ivory Thomas said that between January and July, Jessica Bowie, 35, played loud Islamic prayer recordings late at night and repeatedly threatened them when they confronted her about her disturbing behavior.

“Looking back, the Arabic hymns at 2 a.m. should’ve been a red flag,” Brennan said.

Thomas said she called Albany police seven times, including after alleged death threats, but felt officers dismissed her complaints as a "he-said-she-said" situation. She described one incident where Bowie threatened to blow up the building while she was on the phone, and another where Bowie made a disturbing threat to poison her food.

Thomas said a separate dispute over garbage ended with a death threat from Bowie. When she called the police, they couldn't get Bowie to come out of her room.

Thomas also said she contacted child protective services after Bowie's 11-year-old son, who did not live at that house, allegedly harmed Bowie's cat.

Tensions escalated further when the landlord tried to move Bowie into another unit with fellow Muslims from her mosque, but those tenants refused after she reportedly had an angry outburst over a joke.

"She would go down to the mosque and they would turn her away. When does a mosque turn people away?” Thomas said.

Brennan, who identifies as transgender, had known Bowie from 2016 to 2019 before she converted to Islam. Brennan knew Bowie as a mother and prose and poetry writer from Schenectady.

“I had spoken with her about her [schizophrenia diagnosis]. She was very candid at that point. It was like a throwaway line,” said Brennan. “There were moments where you could definitely tell she was unwell.”

However, Brennan did not know Bowie's identity until the night she was evicted from the apartment because Bowie always kept her niqab on at home. But Bowie revealed who she was and then called Brennan by his "dead name."

“She turned around and she called me by my dead name,” said Brennan." I had a moment of recognition and my face had dropped. For me to see her full black garb, basically assuming a cosplay of sorts, it was very weird. And she got very very aggressive.”

Bowie allegedly started breaking plates and making threats against the roommates the day she was evicted.

After Bowie was removed from the property, she left behind belongings including a book called “Artificial Terrorists and Muslim Entrapment After 9/11." The FBI later seized notebooks and other items during her arrest.

Federal prosecutors allege Bowie pledged allegiance to ISIS online earlier this year, purchased bomb-making materials from a Home Depot while wearing a burqa, and planned an attack with help from people who turned out to be FBI informants. She was arrested on August 19 and charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization.