NEW YORK– Lawyers for the New Jersey man charged with planting bombs in two states in September say investigators took a DNA sample from him when they were not present and are seeking to keep the evidence out of court.
Reuters reported that lawyers for Ahmad Khan Rahimi, 29, were also seeking to delay the start of the case, arguing that prosecutors were proceeding too quickly.
The DNA sample was taken in December without counsel being present or consulted, the lawyers argued.
Rahimi has been accused of a committing several offenses over the weekend beginning Sept. 17, when he allegedly planted a bomb near the course of a charity run in Seaside Park and other bombs in the Chelsea Trbet section of Manhattan that night. Twenty-nine people were hurt in the New York bombings.
He is also accused of planting bombs that did not explode in Elizabeth the following day, then getting into a shootout with Linden police Sept. 19. Rahimi was shot and wounded before being taken into custody.
Rahimi, a U.S. citizen who was born in Afghanistan but raised in the United States, has been described as a jihadist by authorities.
Paul Milo may be reached at pmilo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@PaulMilo2. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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