NYC Bomber Sentenced: 'I Don't Hate Anyone'

Ahmad Khan Rahimi gets life in prison for bombs in New York, New Jersey
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 13, 2018 5:35 PM CST
NYC Bomber Sentenced: 'I Don't Hate Anyone'
A Dec. 20, 2016, photo of Ahmad Khan Rahimi in court.   (AP Photo/Mel Evans, File)

A New Jersey man who detonated a pressure cooker bomb in New York City's Chelsea neighborhood in 2016 will spend the rest of his life in prison. Ahmad Khan Rahimi, 30, received two life terms plus an additional 30 years at his sentencing in a New York City courtroom on Tuesday. The blast in September 2016 injured about 30 people, though there were no fatalities. Rahimi planted a second bomb that failed to detonate and set off another small bomb at a road race in Seaside Park, NJ, that injured no one. Prosecutors say Rahimi acted alone but had been inspired by terrorists overseas. "I don't harbor hate for anyone," Rahimi said in court during what NBC News describes as a rambling statement.

Rahimi did not apologize for his actions and complained about being harassed while traveling as a Muslim by federal authorities. "I have come to understand why there is such a big frustration between Muslims overseas and the American people," he said. In addition to the life sentences, the judge also ordered Rahimi to pay $562,000 in restitution to those injured in the Chelsea blast, reports the AP. Rahimi is a naturalized US citizen who came to America at age 7 with his family from Afghanistan. In their plea for the maximum terms, prosecutors said Rahimi had been trying to radicalize other prisoners since his arrest. (More bombing stories.)

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