Wife of New York Bomber Testifies to Police

According to a U.S. police official, the wife of an Afghan-American citizen accused of bombing in New York and New Jersey last week has returned to the U.S. Meanwhile, the defendant's attorney has not yet been able to meet with his client. Ahmed Khan Rahimi, 28, has been hospitalized in New Jersey due to injuries sustained during a shootout with police on Monday after his arrest. He faces federal charges in both New York and New Jersey. The bombing on Saturday night in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York injured 31 people; however, no one was killed in this incident or in two other explosions in New Jersey. According to a police official, his wife, Asia Bibi Rahimi, returned to the U.S. on Wednesday night and voluntarily met with U.S. security officials while she was in the United Arab Emirates, providing testimony. Mrs. Rahimi received a visa to enter the U.S. two years ago while she was pregnant and living in Pakistan, with the assistance of a congressman from New Jersey. U.S. authorities are investigating whether Ahmed Khan Rahimi received assistance from any individual or group in making the homemade bombs and carrying out the bombings. The prosecution claims he was influenced by propaganda from extremist Islamist groups and was found with a magazine that encouraged martyrdom and called on Muslims to wage war against the U.S. U.S. authorities consider this case a terrorist incident. There appears to be a disagreement between the prosecution and the head of the New York City Public Defender's Office regarding when Mr. Rahimi will have access to a defense attorney. David Patten, the head of the New York City Public Defender's Office, requested on Wednesday that he be accepted as Mr. Rahimi's defense attorney, stating that the defendant has not yet received legal counsel. The FBI states that Mr. Rahimi was arrested by New Jersey state police and is currently in the custody of that state, not the federal government. A judge accepted the FBI's argument on Wednesday, stating, 'The federal government emphasizes that this prisoner is not in its custody. Federal agents' interrogation of this defendant does not affect this matter.' The judge also announced that until it is determined which agency has custody and oversight of the defendant, the timing of his meeting with a defense attorney cannot be established. Reuters reports that, in the U.S., defendants in serious crimes typically appear shortly after for arraignment, and if they lack the necessary financial resources, the government appoints a lawyer for them for the first hearing or shortly thereafter. If an individual in this situation has financial means, they can hire a lawyer. The prosecution is also investigating Mr. Rahimi's travel history to Afghanistan and Pakistan and searching for potential evidence related to his affiliations or contacts with extremist Islamist groups and training for bomb-making.