Federal prosecutors in Manhattan have charged an Elizabeth man accused of planting pipe bombs around New York and New Jersey in September.
Authorities say Ahmad Rahimi planted bombs along the route of a Marines charity 5K race in Seaside Park, as well as bombs in Elizabeth and in the Chelsea section of Manhattan.
Dozens of people were hurt when the bomb went off in Chelsea. No one was hurt when the bomb went off in Seaside, mostly due to the fact that the charity race started late. The bombs planted in Elizabeth never detonated.
"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. Now indicted by a grand jury, Rahimi will face justice in a federal court for his alleged violent acts of terrorism," says acting Assistant Attorney General Mary B. McCord.
Rahimi was previously indicted on state charges that he allegedly tried to kill police officers in Linden. Two days after the bombings, Rahimi was arrested after police say he was involved in a shootout with police.
Linden police officers were responding to reports of a person believed to be Rahimi who was sleeping in the doorway of a local bar. Rahimi was shot several times in the encounter and spent several weeks in the hospital.
Rahimi is expected to face a federal judge Thursday at 1 p.m in New York.