NEW YORK, Nov. 10 (UPI) — Ahmad Khan Rahami, who is accused of a New York City-area bombing spree in September, made his first court appearance in Manhattan despite medical concerns voiced by his lawyer.
Rahami appeared before Manhattan’s U.S. District Court on Thursday to face federal charges related to the bombings. He did not enter a plea, NBC 4 New York reported.
David Patton, Rahami’s defense attorney, voiced concerns for his well being, saying that Rahami has been through up to 10 surgeries, many of which were for infections. One of Rahami’s hands does not close, he has an open wound and liver damage, Patton said.
The prosecution, led by U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Preet Bharara, said Rahami planted bombs “in the heart of Manhattan and in New Jersey” because he was “allegedly driven by a commitment to violent jihad.”
Rahami is accused of a Sept. 17 bombing in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood, which injured more than 30 people, and a bombing earlier that day in New Jersey’s Seaside Park. He is also linked to a bag filled with improvised explosive devices found in near an Elizabeth, N.J., train station. No injuries were reported in either of the New Jersey incidents.
Rahami faces federal charges including use of weapons of mass destruction, destruction of property by means of fire or explosive, bombing a place of public use, and use of a destructive device during and in furtherance of a crime of violence, The New York Times reported.
“One of the bombs exploded on a Saturday evening in Chelsea, injuring over 30 people and shattering windows hundreds of yards away. For his alleged acts of terror, Rahami will now face justice in a federal courthouse just blocks south of where he allegedly planted his bombs,” Bharara said in a statement released ahead of the hearing.
Last month, he pleaded not guilty to attempted murder charges for engaging in a shootout with police officers who tracked him down to Linden, N.J. Two officers were injured.
