Man charged in US over alleged New Year’s Eve plot

Agence France-Presse

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

Man charged in US over alleged New Year’s Eve plot

EPA

Emanuel Lutchman, an alleged Islamic State supporter, is accused of planning an attack in New York

NEW YORK, United States – US authorities said Thursday, December 31 (January 1 in Manila) they had arrested and charged a 25-year-old American Muslim convert over an alleged attempt to launch a New Year’s Eve attack in upstate New York in the name of the Islamic State group.

Emanuel Lutchman was charged with attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State, the Justice Department said – a charge that carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

Lutchman – who lives in Rochester, New York – was in contact with an individual who claimed to be an ISIS member in Syria and who encouraged him to carry out an attack to prove his mettle, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The 25-year-old American armed himself with two knives, a machete, duct tape, zip ties and ski masks to carry out an attack on Thursday on an unnamed Rochester restaurant, court documents released by US authorities revealed.

Federal agents arrested Lutchman on Wednesday. He made an initial court appearance on Thursday.

“This New Year’s Eve prosecution underscores the threat of ISIL even in upstate New York, but demonstrates our determination to immediately stop any who would cause harm in its name,” said federal prosecutor William Hochul.

Hochul, the US attorney for the western district of New York, said Lutchman’s arrest sent a message to others plotting attacks in the name of the jihadist group –  “you will be caught, you will be prosecuted, and you will be punished.”

Authorities said that Lutchman’s plot was to be carried out “on behalf of ISIL and in furtherance of his plan to join ISIL overseas,” the statement said, referring to the Islamic State group by an acronym commonly used by the US government.

Lutchman is a self-professed Muslim convert with a criminal history dating back nearly 10 years that includes a robbery conviction, according to court documents. He spent about five years in prison, officials said.

Rochester is located in the western part of New York state on Lake Ontario, more than 330 miles (530 kilometers) northwest of Manhattan.

Authorities in the West are on edge as 2016 arrives, especially in the wake of the Paris attacks in November that killed 130 people, and a deadly December 2 gun attack in San Bernardino, California by a Muslim couple believed to have been inspired by ISIS ideology.

Both Paris and Brussels canceled New Year’s Eve fireworks displays as soldiers and police ramped up security in European capitals over perceived terror threats.

In New York’s Times Square, where one million people were expected to gather for the traditional ball drop ceremony, thousands of police officers were deployed, including hundreds who are part of a new anti-terror force. – Rappler.com

Add a comment

Sort by

There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.

Summarize this article with AI

How does this make you feel?

Loading
Download the Rappler App!