Judge refuses to dismiss charges against alleged Chelsea bomber
Ahmad Khan Rahimi sits in court in Elizabeth, N.J., on Dec. 20, 2016. Credit: AP / Mel Evans
A federal judge in Manhattan on Thursday rebuffed a defense bid to dismiss charges that would carry a mandatory life sentence for alleged Chelsea bomber Ahmad Khan Rahimi.
Rahimi, 29, of Elizabeth, New Jersey, is accused of planting two pressure-cooker bombs in Chelsea last Sept. 17, one of which exploded and injured 30 people.
U.S. District Judge Richard Berman said the life-sentence charges — using and carrying a destructive device in furtherance of a crime of violence — did not require another crime of violence separate from the bombing.
Berman deferred ruling on another key issue — the extent to which evidence seeking to link Rahimi to terrorism will be allowed.
He is charged with crimes involving explosives, weapons of mass destruction and property damage, but not terrorism. The trial is scheduled for October.
Out East with Doug Geed: Wine harvests, a fish market, baked treats and poinsettias NewsdayTV's Doug Geed visits two wineries and a fish market, and then it's time for holiday cheer, with a visit to a bakery and poinsettia greenhouses.
Out East with Doug Geed: Wine harvests, a fish market, baked treats and poinsettias NewsdayTV's Doug Geed visits two wineries and a fish market, and then it's time for holiday cheer, with a visit to a bakery and poinsettia greenhouses.
