N.J., N.Y. bombing suspect pleads not guilty
ELIZABETH, N.J. — A 28-year-old Afghan-American accused of setting off bombs last month in New York and New Jersey that injured more than 30 people pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges racked up during a gun battle with police.
Ahmad Khan Rahimi, charged with attempted murder and handgun offenses, remains hospitalized after police shot him in Linden, N.J., as they tried to arrest him. He appeared in Union County Superior Court here via teleconference.
It was Rahimi’s first court appearance since being captured Sept. 19 after a shootout with police outside a bar. He is charged with the attempted murder of five police officers and illegal possession and use of handgun.
His lawyer, Peter Liguori started off the proceeding by correcting his client’s name. Rahimi’s name has been reported as being spelled Rahami.
Rahimi spoke in a squeaky whisper from his Newark, N.J., hospital room, where he has been since he was injured in the shootout. In response to questions posed to him from Judge Regina Caufield, he answered yes three times to questions about understanding his rights and confirming his address.
Rahimi, an Afghan-born U.S. citizen, was covered in a white blanket and dressed in a green hospital gown. He was propped up on his bed with two pillows and his neck appeared to be bandaged.
Authorities have declined to provide details on Rahimi's medical condition, citing privacy laws. Rahimi was shot “multiple times” as officers apprehended him. Two officers were injured.
Police sought Rahimi after investigators lifted a fingerprint from a pressure cooker bomb that he left in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan that failed to detonate.
He is accused of detonating a pipe bomb Sept. 17 along the route of a Marine Corps charity race in the New Jersey shore town of Seaside Park and a pressure cooker bomb in New York City. No one was injured in the New Jersey blast, and 31 people were hurt in the New York blast.
The morning of the shootout, bombs were discovered in a trash can near the Elizabeth train station. Police accidentally detonated one of the bombs with a robot as they were attempting to recover them.
Rahimi also faces federal charges in both states.
Officer Angel Padilla, whom prosecutors say Rahimi shot, was in court along with fellow Linden officers.
Rahimi’s bail will remain at $5.2 million.
Contributing: The Associated Press. Follow Matthew McGrath on Twitter: @MatthewBMcGrath
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