A jury returned a guilty verdict today against Ahmad Khan
Rahimi, aka, “Ahmad Rahami,” 29, of Elizabeth, New Jersey, in Manhattan federal
court on all eight counts of the Indictment, which charged him with offenses
related to his execution and attempted execution of bombings in New York City
on Sept. 17, 2016. Rahimi, who faces
mandatory sentence of life in prison, is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 18,
2018.
Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security Dana
J. Boente, Acting U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim for the Southern District of New
York, Assistant Director in Charge William F. Sweeney Jr. of the FBI’s New York
Office and Commissioner James P. O’Neill
of the NYPD made the announcement. U.S.
District Judge Richard M. Berman presided over the two-week trial.
“Ahmad Khan Rahimi constructed bombs with high explosives
and shrapnel to inflict maximum damage to innocent victims in multiple
locations,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Boente. “The defendant's bombs caused injuries to
numerous people. Thanks to outstanding
investigative work, the defendant was identified and arrested before he could
do any more harm. This verdict is an
important step in holding him accountable for his crimes. Pursuing those who seek to conduct attacks on
our homeland will remain the highest priority of the National Security
Division. I would like to commend all of
the agents, analysts and prosecutors who made this result possible.”
“On September 17, 2016, Ahmad Khan Rahimi attacked our
country and our way of life,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Kim. “Inspired by ISIS and al Qaeda, Rahimi
planted and detonated bombs on the streets of Chelsea, in the heart of
Manhattan, and in New Jersey, hoping to kill and maim as many innocent people
as possible. Rahimi’s crimes of hate
have been met with swift and resolute justice.
Just over a year after his attacks, and following a fair and open trial,
Rahimi now stands convicted of his crimes of terror by a unanimous jury of New
Yorkers. 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.”
“It’s no secret New York City remains a desirable target for
those who wish to disrupt our way of life,” said Assistant Director in Charge
Sweeney Jr. “Last September, Rahimi set
out to harm innocent people who were simply living their lives one Saturday
evening. He underestimated the
resilience of New Yorkers as well as the resolution of the FBI’s Joint
Terrorism Task Force to see justice served. Today and always, along with our
partners, we remain committed to putting terrorists and would-be terrorists
behind bars. While the threat posed by Rahimi has been mitigated, I can’t
overstate the critical role the public continues to play in combating the
threats we face. As we welcome this victory today, I ask everyone to remain
engaged, stay aware, and immediately report suspicious activity to the
authorities.”
“Ahmed Rahimi deliberately placed two bombs on the streets
of Chelsea in the dark of night with the intention of maiming and killing
innocent New Yorkers enjoying a September Saturday night,” Commissioner
O’Neill. “The fact that victims were not
killed when one bomb exploded and another failed to detonate is
miraculous. Mr. Rahimi was following to
the hateful propaganda of al-Qaida and ISIS that calls for the killing of
Americans. The combined efforts of the
FBI, NYPD, the New York State Police and the Linden New Jersey Police
Department led to the capture of Mr. Rahimi within 50 hours of the
bombing. The investigation, as well as
this conviction is an example of the work of the nation’s best counterterrorism
team. I want to commend the detectives,
agents and police officers, the prosecutors of the United States Attorney’s
Office for the Southern District of New York, and the members of the jury for
bringing Ahmed Rahimi to justice.
Today’s verdict is the most forceful deterrent for anyone considering waging
terror in our City. We will investigate;
we will find those responsible; and justice will prevail.”
As set forth in the Complaint, Indictment and the evidence
presented at trial:
On Sept. 17, 2016, Rahimi transported two improvised
explosive devices from New Jersey to New York, New York. Rahimi placed one of the devices in the
vicinity of 135 West 23rd Street in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York (the
“23rd Street Bomb”) and the other in the vicinity of 131 West 27th Street in
the Chelsea neighborhood of New York (the “27th Street Bomb”).
At approximately 8:30 p.m., the 23rd Street Bomb –
containing a high explosive main charge – detonated, causing injuries to over
30 people and multimillion-dollar property damage across a 650-foot crime
scene. 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. The explosive components
appear to have been placed inside a pressure cooker and left near a
dumpster. The explosion propelled a
more-than-one-hundred-pound dumpster – which was introduced as an exhibit at
trial – more than 120 feet. The blast
shattered windows as far as approximately 400 feet from the blast site and,
vertically, more than three stories high.
Shortly after the 23rd Street Bomb detonated, the 27th
Street Bomb was identified by a civilian who promptly called 911, which
recorded call was introduced in evidence and played at trial. The 27th Street Bomb, which was rendered safe
prior to detonation, consisted of, among other things, a pressure cooker
connected with wires to a cellular telephone (likely to function as a timer)
and packaged with an explosive main charge, ball bearings and steel nuts.
Earlier that day, at approximately 9:35 a.m. on Sept. 17,
2016, another improvised explosive device, which had been planted by Rahimi in
the early morning hours, detonated in the vicinity of Seaside Park, New Jersey,
along the route for the Seaside Semper Five Marine Corps Charity 5K race. The start of the race – which was scheduled
to begin at 9:00 a.m. – was delayed. Had
the race started on time, the bomb would have detonated as runners were passing
by where Rahimi had planted it.
On Sept. 18, 2016, at approximately 8:40 p.m., six
additional improvised explosive devices that Rahimi also planted were found
inside a backpack located at the entrance to the New Jersey Transit station in
Elizabeth. One of these devices
detonated as law enforcement used a robot to defuse it.
On Sept. 19, 2016, at approximately 9:30 a.m., Rahimi was
arrested by police in Linden, New Jersey.
Rahimi fired multiple shots at police, striking and injuring multiple
police officers before he was himself shot, subdued and placed under
arrest. In the course of Rahimi’s
arrest, a handwritten journal was recovered from Rahimi’s person. Written in the journal were, among other
things, mentions of explosive devices (including “The sounds of bombs will be
heard in the streets” and “Bombs set off in the streets they plan to run a
mile”), and laudatory references to
Usama Bin Laden, the former leader of al Qaeda, Anwar al-Awlaki, a former
senior leader of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, Mohammed al-Adnani, a
former senior leader of the Islamic State in Iraq and al Sham and Nidal Hasan,
who shot and killed 13 people in Foot Hood, Texas.
*
* *
Rahimi was convicted of one count of using a weapon of mass
destruction, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison; one count of
attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction, which carries a maximum
sentence of life in prison; one count of bombing a place of public use, which
carries a maximum sentence of life in prison; one count of destroying property
by means of fire or explosive, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in
prison; one count of attempting to destroy property by means of fire or
explosive, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; one count of
interstate transportation and receipt of explosives, which carries a maximum
sentence of 20 years in prison; and two counts of using of a destructive device
in furtherance of a crime of violence, namely, the use and attempted use of
weapons of mass destruction, each of which individually carries a mandatory
minimum consecutive sentence of 30 years in prison, a potential maximum
sentence of life in prison, and, by virtue of his convictions on both counts, a
mandatory sentence of life in prison.
The statutory maximum and minimum penalties are prescribed
by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any
sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
In addition to the charges of which he was convicted in
Manhattan federal court, Rahimi also has been charged in the District of New
Jersey in a Complaint with offenses in connection with his alleged efforts to
detonate explosives in Seaside Park and Elizabeth.
Mr. Boente and Mr. Kim praised the outstanding efforts of
the FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, which principally consists of
agents from the FBI and detectives from the NYPD. Mr. Kim also thanked the Counterterrorism
Section of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division for its assistance.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emil J. Bove III, Andrew J.
DeFilippis and Shawn G. Crowley of the Southern District of New York are
prosecuting this case with assistance from Trial Attorney Brian Morgan of the
National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment