Suspected Chelsea Bomber Finally Faces Charges in Manhattan Court

CHELSEA, NY — The alleged Chelsea bomber reportedly limped into a Manhattan Federal Court for the first time Thursday to hear the charges against him and learn about his rights as a defendant, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Ahmad Khan Ramani, 28, faces life in prison for allegedly setting off a bomb in the Manhattan neighborhood of Chelsea on Sept. 17 that injured 31 people.

Ramani, a naturalized American citizen born in Afghanistan, also faces charges for placing explosives in Seaside Park and Elizabeth, New Jersey that exploded but caused no injuries.

Prosecutors at the Manhattan U.S. attorney's office charged Ramani with using weapons of mass destruction and bombing a place of public use, among other charges.

Ramani's lawyer, David Patton, argued at Thursday's hearing that Ramani's physical health was in danger and would not be adequately taken care of in federal prison. Ramani underwent 10 surgeries after his shoot-out with police, almost lost his hand, has life-threatening liver damage and an open wound on his leg, Patton said.

Ramani has not yet entered a plea deal in Manhattan but plans to plead not guilty, according to Patton. He pleaded not guilty to five charges in New Jersey last month from his hospital bed in Newark.

Ramani was a native of Afghanistan who grew up in the U.S. but made a couple recent trips back to the Middle East, where investigators now believe he may have been radicalized, various law enforcement sources told Patch.

"We have directly linked Rahami to devices in New York and from Saturday in New Jersey," William Sweeney, head of the FBI's New York bureau, said at a press conference in September. A law enforcement source told Patch that Rahami showed up in surveillance footage recorded at the scene of both bombings.

Ramani is expected back in court on Nov. 15 and again on Nov. 23.

Image courtesy of Scott Shanker