In December 2017, law enforcement officials were dispatched to the New York subway’s Times Square–42nd Street/Port Authority Bus Terminal station after reports surfaced of an attempted bombing. The perpetrator, identified as Bangladeshi man Akayed Ullah, was promptly taken into custody and was the only individual who suffered serious injuries.
Nearly three years after being convicted over the failed 2017 subway bombing, 31-year-old Ullah was sentenced on Thursday to life in prison, plus 30 years behind bars, by a federal appeals judge.
Judge Richard Sullivan, who presided over the case, rejected the defense’s argument and plea for mercy, telling the courtroom that Ullah had made a “calculated, premeditated decision to kill” as many people as possible.
The judge further underscored that even though the bombing plan failed, it does not make Ullah any less at fault in his attempts to carry out the deadly act. Sullivan described the incident as a “truly barbaric and heinous crime.”
Up until the Thursday sentencing, defense lawyers had been calling on the judge to be lenient and issue the minimum sentence of 35 years in prison, explaining that Ullah had intended to only kill himself. The defense team indicated that their client was experiencing a depressive episode at the time.
However, federal defenders did not shy away from recognizing Ullah’s acts. In fact, the team acknowledged that Ullah had found a type of “hope” in messages spread online by the Daesh group and its supporters.
The New York Times reported that supporting evidence for a harsh sentencing included a government letter that detailed an exchange in which Ullah had told a correctional officer that “more is coming, you’ll see.” The interaction unfolded some two weeks after he was taken into police custody.
Ahead of his sentencing, Ullah told the courtroom that he recognized his actions were “wrong,” and that he does “not support harming innocent people,” according to quotes obtained by local outlet NBC New York.
Sourse: sputniknews.com
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