An ex-con who may have converted to Islam in prison is under arrest for planning an attack on New Year’s Eve.
The man, identified as Emanuel Lutchman, 25, is described by the Daily Mail as having mental health problems. Lutchman was intercepted by authorities after they learned he was planning a machete attack on diners at a restaurant in Rochester, N.Y. He has been charged with with attempting to provide material support to ISIS, which carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Federal prosecutors say that Lutchman had been in contact with a member of a terrorist organization in Syria that urged him to kill non-Muslims.
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According to court documents, Lutchman’s Syrian contact told him, “New Year’s is here soon. Do operations and kill some kuffar,” a term for non-Muslims.
On Monday Lutchman met with an individual who was working with the FBI, whom he told he planned to sneak inside a bomb into the restaurant or perhaps kidnap some people. “I will take a life,” he reportedly told the contact, adding, “I don’t have a problem with that.”
According to the criminal complaint, Lutchman was arrested for robbery in 2006 and served five years in prison. He also has multiple mental hygiene arrests.
