Feds say NJ man plotted pressure cooker bomb plot, joining ISIS

A New Jersey man arrested after trying to butcher his family's dog sought to become a martyr for ISIS by blowing himself up with a pressure cooker bomb in Manhattan, federal authorities charged Friday.

Gregory Lepsky, 20, of Point Pleasant, was charged with one count of attempting to provide material support to ISIS. Lepsky was arrested at his home in February after the incident involving the family pet, and police subsequently discovered a pressure cooker and a digital trail indicating a Boston Marathon-style bomb plot, prosecutors said in Newark Federal Court.

“During searches of computers and other digital evidence linked to Lepsky, law enforcement found evidence of Lepsky’s plan to build and detonate a bomb as part of his support for ISIS,” federal prosecutors charged.

Both Lepsky and the dog were wounded when police initially responded on Feb. 21, and Lepsky allegedly told police while being treated at a hospital he planned to carry out his attack in New York City. The complaint said he told officials he pledged his allegiance to "Allah," was planning to kill his mother and fatally stabbed his dog because it was considered "dirty."

Lepsky, a recent convert to Islam who goes by Allah Abdel Rochman, allegedly had previously told people via social media that he intended to fight on behalf of ISIS, and intended to deliver “a bunch of explosives” to where the “enemies” could be found.

According to the complaint, law enforcement also turned up a series of step-by-step instructions from Al Qaeda's Inspire magazine on how to build a pressure cooker bomb.

Prosecutors released Lepsky's alleged social media posts, in which he referred to his plans.

“I linked up with some guy I met on a chat website and he wants me to become Muslim and join ISIS,” Lepsky wrote in a text. “I really wanna go join ISIS.”

Lepsky faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted.

The case was investigated by the FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Force, along with local law enforcement.

Fox News' Katherine Lam contributed to this report.