A Rochester, New York man arrested this week was planning to kill New Year’s Eve revelers in the name of terror group ISIS, officials announced on Thursday.
“He planned to kill innocent civilians on New Year’s Eve in the name of the terrorist organization,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Carlin in a statement announcing the charges.
Emanuel Lutchman, 25, planned an armed attack on civilians at a restaurant/bar in Rochester, on behalf of the Islamic State, the authorities said.
He told an informant that he received guidance from an overseas ISIS member, who told him at one point he would “have to prove himself and prove that he was one of them.”
With an FBI informant, he bought a machete, sky masks, zipties, knives, and duct tape at Walmart, according to the affadavit. He also sought to obtain a bomb. The purchases came after authorities connected him with three informants that he was led to believe would help him carry out the attack.
Lutchman wanted to kill in order to further his ultimate plan of joining the terror group overseas. He has past arrests, including mental health arrests and a robbery conviction.
