Jessica Bowie was arrested on August 19 and is accused of plotting to bomb the New York State Capitol. Her arrest marks the fifth Islamic State-linked terrorism case or incident in the United States this year.

Last week, Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, a Lebanese-US dual national, rammed his car into the entrance of Temple Israel, a synagogue in West Bloomfield, Indiana. Ghazali had familial connections to Hezbollah, and evidence shows multiple connections to the US-designated terrorist group among Shiite Lebanese expatriates, including open support for Hezbollah by some individuals within these communities.

Over the last month, American law enforcement officials separately arrested two men from California and South Carolina on terrorism charges, documenting their alleged support for the Islamic State (IS). These arrests, combined with recent guilty pleas for an election-day terrorist plot from two other individuals, indicate the jihadist group’s staying power and continued ability to attract supporters.

Abdullah Haji Zada, an 18-year-old legal permanent resident living in Oklahoma, pled guilty to conspiring to receive firearms intended for an election-day terrorist attack on behalf of the Islamic State. Six other individuals have been detained for their connection to the Islamic State since Zada’s arrest, underscoring a persistent threat to the US.

Two US citizens conducted separate attacks in New Orleans and Las Vegas. Fifteen people were killed and dozens injured after a terrorist who declared membership in the Islamic State (IS) rammed a vehicle into a crowd on Bourbon Street. In a second incident being investigated as a possible terrorist attack, the driver was killed when he intentionally detonated a vehicle in front of the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, injuring seven. Law enforcement officials are investigating if the attacks are connected but have found no links, thus far.
