NEW YORK (AP) - The Latest on the conviction of a Bangladeshi immigrant in last December’s New York City subway pipe bomb attack:
5:20 p.m.
A member of the jury that convicted a Bangladeshi immigrant in a failed subway pipe bombing attack says he may have swayed some jurors if he’d testified.
Juror Linda Artis says she doesn’t think Akayed Ullah carried out the Dec. 11 attack for the Islamic State group, despite prosecutors’ claims he did.
Ullah could face life behind bars after his Tuesday conviction. The bomb sputtered and only Ullah was seriously hurt.
Artis spoke to reporters after the verdict was announced in Manhattan federal court.
She says evidence was overwhelming that Ullah set off a bomb, but why he did it was in doubt. She says the law is too vague and she hopes a lot of people don’t get labeled a terrorist if they are “just a random whack job.”
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4:35 p.m.
Manhattan’s top federal prosecutor says the conviction of a Bangladeshi immigrant in a failed subway pipe bombing attack meant as a political attack comes fittingly on Election Day.
U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman said after Tuesday’s conviction of Akayed Ullah that the timing of the conviction “fittingly underscores the core principles of American democracy and spirit.”
Berman says Americans engage in the political process through votes, not violence.
After he was convicted, Ullah told U.S. District Judge Richard Sullivan that prosecutors were wrong to insist he carried out the attack on behalf of the Islamic State group.
He says he was angry at President Donald Trump for saying he would bomb the Middle East.
At sentencing April 5, the Brooklyn resident faces a mandatory 30 years in prison and possibly life.
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4 p.m.
A Bangladeshi immigrant convicted of terrorism charges after setting off a pipe bomb in New York City’s busiest subway station at rush hour insists he didn’t do it for the Islamic State group.
After the Manhattan jury announced its verdict Tuesday, Akayed Ullah spoke out.
He told U.S. District Judge Richard Sullivan he was angry at President Donald Trump for threatening to bomb the Middle East when he carried out the attack last December. His bomb fizzled and only Ullah was seriously hurt.
The defense said Ullah intended to kill only himself.
Prosecutors said he wanted to maim or kill commuters as part of a “lone wolf” attack.
Ullah faces a mandatory 30-year prison sentence and possible life. Sentencing is set for April 5.
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2:19 p.m.
A Bangladeshi immigrant who set off a pipe bomb in New York City’s busiest subway station at rush hour has been convicted of terrorism charges.
The verdict against Akayed Ullah was returned on Tuesday in Manhattan federal court.
The defense said Ullah intended to kill only himself last Dec. 11. Nobody died and most of the injuries were not serious.
Prosecutors said he wanted to maim or kill commuters as part of a “lone wolf” terrorist attack on behalf of the Islamic State group.
They disputed the defense claim, saying Ullah would not have worn a bomb had he wanted to kill only himself.
They also cited social media postings by Ullah as well as comments he made after his arrest to investigators.
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