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Feds: N.Y. man linked to ISIL planned New Year's Eve bar attack

Gary Craig
Rochester (N.Y.) Democrat and Chronicle
Emanuel Lutchman, 25, is charged with providing material support to Islamic State. Federal authorities allege he wanted to kill patrons at a Rochester, N.Y., restaurant or bar on New Year's Eve.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — A New York man accused of being an Islamic State sympathizer planned to kill citizens at a restaurant/bar here on New Year's Eve, federal authorities allege.

Emanuel L. Lutchman, 25, of Rochester, was charged with providing material support to the Islamic State, the terrorist organization also known as ISIS or ISIL. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

A Muslim convert, Lutchman allegedly wanted to kill the patrons of a bar on New Year's Eve.

"The FBI thwarted Emanuel Lutchman's intent to kill civilians on New Year's Eve," said FBI Special Agent in Charge Adam S. Cohen of the agency's Buffalo Division, in a statement.

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Later Thursday, Rochester officials announced that the city had canceled its New Year's Eve fireworks celebration in the wake of the arrest.

Rochester Police Chief Michael Ciminelli and Mayor Lovely Warren said no additional threat was imminent, but they made the decision to cancel the fireworks so police officers — about 30 of them — could be deployed elsewhere in the city as a precaution.

"In light of the circumstances, the fireworks require a very large number of officers for traffic control and crowd control," Ciminelli said at an afternoon news conference.

Other New Year's Eve activities were expected to go on as scheduled, and Ciminelli said officers would be present at them.

According to an affidavit from FBI Special Agent Timothy Klapec, Lutchman wanted to prove that he was worthy of Islamic State participation, and, with an FBI informant, bought a machete, ski masks, zip ties, knives and duct tape at a Walmart.

"According to the (criminal complaint), as part of Emanuel Lutchman's attempt to provide material support to ISIL, he planned to kill innocent civilians on New Year's Eve in the name of the terrorist organization," said U.S. Assistant Attorney General John Carlin. "Thankfully, law enforcement was able to intervene and thwart Lutchman's deadly plans."

In a statement announcing the charges, U.S. Attorney William Hochul Jr. said, "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."

In late December, authorities began monitoring Lutchman and connecting him with three informants that Lutchman was led to believe would help him carry out a New Year's Eve attack in Rochester.

Lutchman has past arrests, including mental health arrests. As well as his robbery conviction in 2006, he served several months in local jail this year for petty larceny and menacing.

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He also has a pending domestic violence case involving the same woman whom he admitted to criminally menacing, records show.

Authorities allege that:

Lutchman told one informant that he was communicating with a "brother" of Islamic State in Syria. The supposed Islamic State contact told Lutchman that he would "have to prove himself and prove that he was one of them," authorities allege.

Lutchman, who served prison time for a robbery, at first was hesitant, saying he did not want to go back to prison. The contact told Lutchman that he should carry out an "operation" on New Year's Eve.

On Monday morning, Lutchman met with another informant and said he intended to carry out an "act" so he could "get to hijra," which authorities say was his term for a journey to Islamic State. That night he said he wanted to target a bar or club — it is not identified in court papers — with a bomb. They chose a particular "restaurant/bar" in Rochester, and on Tuesday bought the machete, knives and other goods at the Walmart for the assault.

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"The operation is a go," Lutchman allegedly said. "We just gotta do it man. We got the knives, we got the gloves, we got the ammonia, so whatever the case may be."

On Wednesday the Rochester Joint Terrorism Task Force, which includes the FBI and other police, arrested Lutchman in a car with an informant. Before that, he allegedly made a video on a mobile telephone pledging allegiance to Islamic State and claiming responsibility for the planned attack.

Lutchman, who is now detained, appeared in federal court Thursday morning. Federal court was scheduled to be closed and the media was not notified in advance of his appearance.

He is scheduled to return to court Jan. 8.

It's unknown whether the Rochester Police Department had any role in the investigation.

It doesn't appear as if individual police officers had been notified of the plot or were told to be particularly vigilant, as numerous officers said they learned of the arrest from news sources.

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This is the second Islamic State-connected arrest in Rochester in the last 17 months.

Mufid Elfgeeh, 32, was arrested last year and accused of recruiting for Islamic State.

Elfgeeh also plotted to kill returning American troops, the FBI and federal prosecutors alleged.

Earlier in December when Elfgeeh pleaded guilty in federal court to trying to recruit two men for the Islamic State, he acknowledged how he tried through social media to be a liaison between a rebel commander in Homs, Syria, and ISIL forces. Documents unsealed last week show that the negotiations were much more extensive than previously acknowledged by federal officials or in court records.

Under his plea agreement, he could be sentenced to 22½ years. His sentencing is scheduled to be in March.

In an interview with Time Warner Cable News on Thursday afternoon, New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said the "good news is that law enforcement worked." He said New York has significant experience in fighting terrorism, and although the fight has become more difficult over the years, law enforcement has risen to the challenge.

He called on citizens to be vigilant and to report suspicious activities.

"This is something that is going to be an ongoing challenge," he said. "Every citizen must remain diligent, and if you see something, say something."

Contributing: Will Cleveland, Brian Sharp, Meaghan McDermott and Jon Hand, Rochester (N.Y.) Democrat and Chronicle. Follow Gary Craig on Twitter: @gcraig1

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