NEW YORK _ Terror bomber Ahmad Rahimi was found guilty on Monday of detonating a shrapnel-packed explosive device that injured 30 people on a terrifying night in Chelsea.
The Manhattan Federal Court jury deliberated for 3 { hours before returning its verdict against the New Jersey man radicalized during a 2014 visit to his native Afghanistan.
Rahimi, 29, faced eight charges including using a weapon of mass destruction, bombing a public place and interstate transportation of explosives. He faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison.
"Ahmad Khan Rahimi attacked our country and our way of life. Inspired by ISIS and al-Qaida, Rahimi planted and detonated bombs on the streets of Chelsea, in the heart of Manhattan, and in New Jersey, hoping to kill and maim as many innocent people as possible," acting Manhattan U.S. Attorney Joon Kim said. "Rahimi's crimes of hate have been met with swift and resolute justice. Just over a year after his attacks, and following a fair and open trial, Rahimi now stands convicted of his crimes of terror by a unanimous jury of New Yorkers."
Federal prosecutors described Rahimi as a "soldier in a holy war against Americans," intent on inflicting as much carnage as possible with his homemade pressure cooker bombs.
"He designed it," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Shawn Crowley in his opening argument. "He built it. He filled it with explosives and deadly shrapnel, and he planted it on the street."
The bomb that exploded in Chelsea on Sept. 17, 2016, was packed with hundreds of ball bearings and steel nuts.
Federal prosecutors presented overwhelming evidence against Rahimi, leaving little room for the defense.
Rahimi's lawyers did not call a single witness.
The Elizabeth, N.J., man started his daylong rampage by planting a pipe bomb inside a Jersey Shore garbage can just before the annual Semper Fi Charity 5K run.
A delay in the beginning of the race spared all runners from injury. The bomb exploded as participants waited at the starting line.
Authorities said Rahimi also planted a bomb on W. 27th St., which police discovered before it detonated.
The third bomb, left on busy W. 23rd St. in Chelsea, blew up around 8:30 p.m., injuring 30 bystanders.
The jury heard harrowing accounts of the blast from its victims, along with testimony from cops and forensic experts about evidence linking Rahimi to the bomb.
Prosecutors also presented extensive video of Rahimi wandering through the Manhattan neighborhood prior to the bombing _ including shots of him dropping duffle bags on W. 23rd St. and W. 27th St. shortly before the explosion.
The trial ran for two weeks, kicking off on Oct. 2 and wrapping up Friday.
Day one was delayed for about 40 minutes after Rahimi first refused to enter the courtroom _ and then, once inside, ignored Manhattan Federal Judge Richard Berman's instruction to sit down and remain silent.
Rahimi eventually apologized to Berman, telling him the outburst came because he had not seen his family in nearly a year.
Rahimi was arrested two days after the explosion after a shootout with police in Linden, N.J., where two officers were wounded and the suspect was hit seven times.
He still faces attempted murder charges in New Jersey for the gunfight preceding his arrest.
