What started as a call from a family member regarding a relative living in their home trying to kill the family dog, quickly morphed into a terrorist investigation. In my experience as a police officer, I have observed most of the time the people that get caught are normally not the sharpest tool in the shed. Gregory Lepsky fits this bill to a “T”.
The suspect, Gregory Lepsky, 20, a US citizen from Point Pleasant, New Jersey, appeared in court Friday to face charges of attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State for his plan to construct and use a bomb similar to the one detonated at the 2013 Boston Marathon.
Reading the criminal complaint filed on Thursday in New Jersey, it is easy to see how this case evolved and gives a clear picture of the radicalization and thinking of Lepsky.
When police arrived, they persuaded Lepsky to exit the house. He was bleeding from one arm, and as paramedics treated him, Lepsky allegedly told officers that he was going to kill his mother and that he had pledged allegiance to Allah. He also told officers at the scene he joined ISIS and planned to travel to Turkey.
After taking Lepsky into custody, police searched the house “to determine if anyone else was inside and to check on the welfare of the family dog.” Officers found the family dog hiding under the bed with a large slash wound. Lepsky told officers he stabbed the dog because “in his view of Islam, the dog was dirty.”
Lepsky was taken to a local hospital to be treated for the wound on his arm. While there he voluntarily proceeded to tell officers that he had communicated with the terrorist organization on Facebook and that he was going to make a pressure cooker bomb. Lepsky told officers that he was going to place the home-made bomb in a busy area in New York City “in order to kill as many people as possible.”
A search of the home produced an empty stainless steel pressure cooker in Lepsky’s closet, similar to the one used in the Boston Marathon bombings.
With the information about terrorist activity and his desire to join ISIS, local law enforcement coordinated with the FBI. The FBI obtained court authorization to analyze Lepsky’s cell phone and online activity and found he had conducted research on how to make a pressure cooker bomb.
Lepsky also searched ISIS propaganda, terrorist attacks, and videos of beheadings. The graphic below is a search history of Lepsky’s iPhone search logs. Looking at the list of search items, which were on the phone Lepsky had in is possession when he was first contacted by law enforcement, show searches and interests.
The iPhone search history of 20-year-old New Jersey resident Gregory Lepsky, who has been charged with material support of ISIS. pic.twitter.com/acUYbYdWuu
— Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) May 5, 2017
Lepsky’s text messages further revealed that he wanted to aid ISIS and had sent instructions on how to make a pressure cooker bomb to other family members in the UK.
“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 one text. “I really wanna go join ISIS.”
The complaint also points to several messages Lepsky posted on social media voicing his support for ISIS. In February, Lepsky told another Facebook user that he had “converted to Islam recently and decided I’m going to Syria help my brother fight the kuffar.” Kuffar is a term used for non-believers.
The New York Police Department issued a statement, saying, “At no time was there any imminent danger to New Yorkers,” adding that their department was involved in the investigation with the FBI.
According to the criminal complaint, Lepsky regretted trying to kill the dog. He said had he not involved the dog his plans would not have been discovered., Not the most remorseful statement if you ask me.
If convicted, Lepsky faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
