Accused of planning a New Year’s Eve attack on a bar in Rochester, NY, on behalf of terror group the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), family says Emanuel Lutchman has been mentally ill since childhood.
Federal authorities said 25-year-old Emanuel Lutchman also had problems with the law since 2006 and switched to Islam while serving a five-year prison sentence for robbery.
Lutchman was charged with attempting to provide material support to ISIL leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and wanted to leave the United States to stay in the ISIL territory.
Lutchman had an overseas contact who urged him to prove his support to ISIL, according to documents filed in court on Thursday. The contact told Lutchman to plan the operation on New Year’s Eve and to kill millions of infidels.
The court documents said Lutchman armed himself with a knife, machete, duct tape, rope and a ski mask.
Assistant Attorney General John P. Carlin confirmed the attack plan had been scheduled to be conducted on Thursday, but he said, “Thankfully, law enforcement was able to intervene and thwart Lutchman’s deadly plans.”
Located in a rich area in the state of New York, Rochester canceled a planned celebration fireworks show on New Year’s Eve.
