Man pleads guilty to New York terror plot on New Year's Eve, faces 20 years

NEW YORK, Aug. 11 (UPI) -- A man pleaded guilty Thursday to plotting a New Year's Eve terror attack in upstate New York, the Department of Justice said.

Emanuel Lutchman, 26, pleaded guilty in a federal court to conspiring to provide material support for the Islamic State. He now faces up to 20 years in prison, followed by a monitored release and a $250,000 fine.

Lutchman is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 15.

Police arrested Lutchman on Dec. 30, alleging he planned to attack people with a machete at the Merchants Grill in Rochester, N.Y., on New Year's Eve.

He allegedly had online communications with Islamic State member Abu Issa Al-Amriki, who the Department of Justice said has since been killed. Al-Amriki helped Lutchman plot the foiled attack.

Before Lutchman was arrested, information about a plotted attack forced the city of Rochester to cancel a scheduled holiday fireworks show and put city officials on edge.

Lutchman's father told NBC News that his son was mentally ill and easily impressionable. The 26-year-old has been in jail multiple times.

In an unrelated case, a Mississippi woman was sentenced to 12 years in prison for attempting to help the Islamic State, the Justice Department added.

Jaelyn Delshaun Young, and her fiance, Muhammad "Mo" Dakhlalla were arrested last August as they tried to board a plane for Turkey with the intent of joining the Islamic State in Syria. Both pleaded guilty. Dakhlalla will be sentenced later this month.