NEW YORK, Nov. 17 (UPI) — The man accused of planting bombs around New York and New Jersey in September, two of which detonated, was indicted on several criminal counts by a federal grand jury in New York on Wednesday.
Ahmad Khan Rahimi was indicted by the federal government in connection with the Sept. 17 explosion in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City, receiving an eight-count indictment for detonating one bomb and leaving another that did not go off.
Rahimi already has been charged in New Jersey for the shootout that led to his arrest after the bombings, and will likely face federal charges there for the explosives he attempted to detonate there.
“The bomb that exploded in Chelsea shattered windows hundreds of yards away and propelled a 100-pound dumpster over 120 feet, injuring over 30 people,” said Preet Bharara, the U.S. Attorney in Manhattan.
Rahimi was arrested last month in New Jersey on charges he detonated one of two bombs he placed in Chelsea, and then detonated another in Seaside Park, N.J., where a charity race was scheduled for later that day.
A fourth bomb at the entrance to a New Jersey transit station in Elizabeth did not go off.
Before his arrest, Rahimi engaged in a gunfight with police, wounding two police officers but also receiving serious injuries himself. Rahimi was charged in New Jersey in October for attempting to murder five police officers during the shootout, among other charges.
In the federal case for the New York bombs, Rahimi was charged with one count each of using a weapon of mass destruction, attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction, bombing a public place, destroying property using fire or explosive, attempting to destroy property, interstate transportation and receipt of explosives, and two counts of using a destructive device to commit a violent crime.
Rahimi’s first preliminary hearing on the charges is scheduled for Nov. 23.
