WASHINGTON — (CNN) Justice Department officials announced Thursday they had thwarted a Rochester man’s plans to kill New Year’s Eve participants in the name of ISIS at an upstate New York bar and restaurant.
Emanuel Lutchman, 25, was charged with attempting to provide material support to ISIS, which carries up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
“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 William Hochul Jr., the U.S. attorney for the Western District of New York.
Lutchman allegedly received direction from an ISIS member overseas and planned to attack revellers in order to join ISIS. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Marian Payson of the Western District of New York on Thursday morning.
The announcement comes as President Barack Obama has been seeking to calm fears in the wake of the San Bernardino terrorist attack, while reassuring Americans of his strategy for handling ISIS.
Obama was briefed on a possible terror threat targeting three major U.S. cities happening between Christmas and the New Year’s Eve holiday.
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