In September 2016, a bomber attacked two sites — New York City’s Chelsea neighborhood and a charity race route — in New Jersey within a few hours. Fortunately, no one was killed, and the suspected perpetrator, Ahmad Khan Rahimi, was apprehended days later. On Monday, Rahimi, a U.S. citizen, was convicted on all eight of the federal terrorism charges he faced:
Rahimi “now faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison,” says acting U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim, who said the bomber had “attacked our country and our way of life,” after being inspired by ISIS and al Qaeda.
The eight federal charges against Rahimi ranged from the use and attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction to the interstate transportation and receipt of explosives and the bombing of a place of public use.
The day before Rahimi was captured, a bag full of explosives was found outside a train station in Elizabeth, New Jersey, which indicated a possible separate target for Rahimi. The bomb in Chelsea was powerful enough to throw a dumpster over 100 feet and cause millions of dollars in property damage. A pressure cooker bomb that did not go off was found blocks away and contained nuts and ball bearings.
Rahimi still faces additional charges in New Jersey for the shootout that preceded his capture.
(Via NPR & New York Times)