US: Rahimi convicted of all charges in New York bombing

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON

Ahmad Khan Rahimi was found guilty Monday of eight federal charges related to bombings in New York last year that injured 30 victims.

A pressure cooker bomb detonated in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan on Sept. 17, 2016, that wreaked havoc, before another was found four blocks away undetonated.

A jury determined Rahimi, an Afghan-born U.S. citizen, was responsible for placing the bombs on a busy street and convicted him of charges that included using a weapon of mass destruction and bombing a public place.

Rahimi now faces a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment.

"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," Acting Manhattan U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim said in a statement, referring to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or Daesh.

"Rahimi’s crimes of hate have been met with swift and resolute justice," Kim added.

Earlier on the day of the bombing in New York, a bomb detonated along the route of a military charity 5-kilometer race in Seaside Park, New Jersey.

If not for a delay at the start of the race, the bomb would have exploded as competitors passed, authorities say.

Rahimi has been charged in New Jersey district court in relation to that bombing, as well as a shootout with police in Elizabeth, New Jersey, that led to his capture and a backpack filled with improvised explosive devices found Sept. 18, 2016.

Rahimi’s lawyers have said they will appeal the verdict.