Ahmad Khan Rahimi: Man who bombed New York's Chelsea neighbourhood found guilty
Ahmad Khan Rahimi faces life in prison
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A Manhattan jury has found Ahmad Khan Rahimi - the so-called "Chelsea bomber" - guilty of setting off explosives in New York and New Jersey that injured 30 people.
The explosions both took place on the night of 17 September 2016 in the Chelsea neighbourhood of New York City, and in Seaside Park, New Jersey.
Court records indicate he placed improvised explosive devices at two intersections of Chelsea, one of which was a pressure cooker in a garbage dumpster that injured people in a 650 ft zone.
According to his indictment in 2016, "the injuries included, among other things, lacerations to the face, abdomen, legs, and arms caused by flying glass, metal shrapnel and fragmentation embedded in skin and bone, and various head injuries".
Acting US Attorney Joon Kim said in a statement: "[Rahimi] attacked our country and our way of life...As a result, he now faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison. Today’s verdict is a victory for New York City, a victory for America in its fight against terror, and a victory for all who believe in the cause of justice.”
Sabrina Shroff, Rahimi's lawyer, said her client never intended for the second device on 27th Street in Chelsea, to explode, but admitted to the 23rd Street pressure cooker bomb that caused the injuries.
The jury could have found the 29-year-old not guilty on the count of the 27th Street bomb, but instead found him guilty on all counts.
In addition to the Seaside Park, New Jersey explosion, Rahimi had planted another near a train station in the area. It was found and defused by police.
Two days after the bombings he was caught after a shootout with police in Linden, New Jersey.
In his possession, they found a journal in which Rahimi praised al-Qaeda leaders Osama bin Laden and Anwar al-Awlaki, as well as Nidal Hasan, the US Army medical corps psychiatrist who admitted to shooting and killing 13 people at Fort Hood, Texas, in 2009.
In addition to the journals, Rahimi's fingerprints were found on at least one of the devices and video surveillance tracked his movements between the sites.
His sentencing is scheduled for 18 January 2018.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments