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New York Bomber Faces Life in Prison

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FILE - Ahmad Khan Rahimi, the man linked to planting two bombs in New York and New Jersey, is led into court in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Dec. 20, 2016.
FILE - Ahmad Khan Rahimi, the man linked to planting two bombs in New York and New Jersey, is led into court in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Dec. 20, 2016.

The man accused of planting two bombs in New York, leaving 30 people injured in September of last year, was found guilty of all charges Monday.

Twenty-nine-year-old Ahmad Khan Rahimi of Elizabeth, New Jersey, faces a maximum sentence of life in prison for charges including counts of using a weapon of mass destruction and bombing a public place.

In a Department of Justice statement, Acting Assistant Attorney Dana Boente said the verdict is an important step in holding Rahimi accountable for his crimes.

Acting U.S. Attorney Joon Kim said "inspired by ISIS [Islamic State] and al-Qaida, 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. Rahimi’s crimes of hate have been met with swift and resolute justice."

The defense said it would appeal the verdict, which followed a two-week trial. But prosecutors noted an unusually high amount of evidence against Rahimi, including fingerprints and DNA found on the bombs, and dozens of videos tracking his movements throughout the night.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio congratulated all involved with the prosecution Monday.

“The Chelsea bombing was an attempt to bring our city to its knees. Instead, our NYPD, FBI and federal prosecutors have brought Ahmad Rahimi to justice," he said in a statement.

The bomb detonated in the New York neighborhood of Chelsea on the evening of September 17, 2016. Rahimi allegedly planted a second a bomb near a Marine Corps charity footrace in Seaside Park, New Jersey, also September 17. The device detonated while a bomb squad was trying to defuse it.

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