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.
Powerful nor'easter slamming Long Island ... Wires down in Malverne ... LIRR doesn't expect major disruptions ... What's forecast for the rest of the day
Powerful nor'easter slamming Long Island ... Wires down in Malverne ... LIRR doesn't expect major disruptions ... What's forecast for the rest of the day
