Jury Selection Begins In Trial For Chelsea Bombing Suspect

CHELSEA, NY — Jury selection began this week in the criminal trial for Ahmad Rahimi, the man suspected of planting a pressure cooker bomb that injured 30 people in Manhattan last year.

Rahimi’s trial is expected to begin sometime next week once jury selection is completed. The 28-year-old was arrested last year after he was left injured in a shootout with police in New Jersey. Rahimi is believed to have planted two homemade bombs in Manhattan, one of which detonated inside a trash can on 23rd Street, authorities say. The bomb injured 30 people but no one was killed. The second bomb planted in Manhattan did not go off.

Rahimi faces a string of charges, including the use of a weapon of mass destruction, related to the explosives. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges. He is facing separate charges in New Jersey. (For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

Image credit: Mel Evans / AP Photo