Man accused of planning to bomb NYC to help ISIS

A New Jersey man who appeared on authorities' radar after stabbing the family dog had plans to construct and use a pressure cooker bomb in New York City and, if necessary, become a martyr in support of ISIS, federal prosecutors said Friday.

Gregory Lepsky, 20, of Point Pleasant, was charged with attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. Investigators say he had praised the Islamic State group's leader, Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, in online messages. He was arrested in February after investigators said he stabbed and threatened to kill the dog. While searching the home, officers found a pressure cooker stored behind a roll of bubble wrap in his bedroom closet. They also searched his phone. 

"Lepsky expressed regret for having tried to kill the family dog because, according to him, if he had not done so, the police would not have discovered his plan," FBI agent Tara Jerussi wrote in a complaint filed Friday. Investigators said Lepsky told police he stabbed the dog because it was considered "dirty" in his view of Islam. Lepsky faces an initial court appearance Friday afternoon. There was no phone listing for him. If convicted, the charge carries a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.