Accused New York City bomber pleads not
guilty
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[November 18, 2016]
By Joseph Ax
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Accused New York
bomber Ahmad Khan Rahimi pleaded not guilty on Thursday to federal
charges that he set off an explosive device in September on a crowded
city street, injuring 30 people.
Wearing a dark blue jump suit, Rahimi, 28, shuffled slowly into federal
court in Manhattan and had several coughing fits during the brief
hearing. He suffered serious injuries in a shootout with police two days
after the bombing.
He spoke only once, when U.S. District Judge Richard Berman asked him to
confirm that he intended to plead not guilty to an eight-count
indictment filed on Wednesday.
"Yes, sir," Rahimi said.
Prosecutors have accused the Afghan-born U.S. citizen of setting off an
explosion in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood on Sept. 17. It did not
kill anyone but hurt 30 people.
The attack came hours after authorities say another pipe bomb planted by
Rahimi went off along the course of a charity road race in New Jersey,
although that detonation did not injure anyone.
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Federal prosecutors also say Rahimi left another bomb in Chelsea that
did not go off and several explosive devices in a bag at a train station
in Elizabeth, New Jersey.
In addition to the New York indictment, Rahimi faces charges from
federal and state prosecutors in New Jersey.
He was captured after a manhunt that ended when police officers
discovered him sleeping in the doorway of a bar in Linden, New Jersey.
The confrontation left him with several gunshot wounds, delaying the
filing of federal charges and forcing him to make his first court
appearance in New Jersey from a hospital bed.
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![](../images/111816pics/news_e7.jpg)
Ahmad Rahimi, 28, is shown in Union County, New Jersey, U.S.
Prosecutor's Office photo released on September 19, 2016. Courtesy
Union County Prosecutor's Office/Handout via REUTERS
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Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Lewin told Berman that prosecutors
had compiled video clips showing Rahimi's movements on the day of
the bombings, including leaving his house carrying bags, walking on
West 23rd Street where the device went off and planting the second
bomb on West 27th Street.
He also said the government has records showing Rahimi purchased
bomb components online and DNA evidence tying him to the bombs.
Lewin asked Berman to consider a trial date in the "late winter" or
"early spring," saying the amount of evidence in the case is
relatively limited. Berman scheduled court dates for Dec. 19 and
Jan. 31 but has not set a trial date.
Rahimi's court-appointed defense lawyers declined to comment after
the hearing.
(Reporting by Joseph Ax; Additional reporting by Daniel Trotta;
Editing by Alistair Bell and Dan Grebler)
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