The world's smallest violin is back.
There's an old Jewish joke about the definition of chutzpah being a man who murders his parents and then pleads with the court to have mercy on him because he's an orphan. Ahmad Rahimi tried to kill police officers. Now the Afghan Muslim settler would like sympathy on account of the PTSD he suffered from being shot by them.
An attorney for Ahmad Rahimi, who is accused of planting bombs that detonated in New York and New Jersey, pleaded not guilty Tuesday on his client's behalf to charges in connection with the shootout with police that led to his capture.
Rahimi was arrested on September 19 after the shootout with New Jersey police, which left him injured.
Of the four bombs linked to Rahimi, one that detonated in a Chelsea Dumpster on Sept. 17, 2016, caused the most damage: wounding 31 people and shattering windows as far as 400 feet away.
Another pressure-cooker bomb in Manhattan failed to detonate, but two other explosives went off, without harming bystanders, at the Jersey Shore and a train station entrance in Elizabeth, New Jersey.
But think of Ahmad's suffering.
Defense attorneys for accused Manhattan bomber Ahmad Rahimi have asked prosecutors to consider his “mental and physical health” as part of negotiations for a plea agreement.
In recent filings in federal court, defense attorneys cited Rahimi’s condition from being shot 11 times in September 2016, and his brain injuries, limited longevity, “and/or post-traumatic stress disorder.”
Yes, Ahmad's PTSD from being shot by police really must be considered.
He was quickly identified as a suspect, and about 11 a.m. on Sept. 19, the five officers responded to a report of a man sleeping on the steps of Merdie's Tavernon Elizabeth Avenue and discovered it was Rahimi. Authorities say the suspect pulled out a gun and started shooting.
One officer, Angel Padilla, was shot in the torso, but his bullet-proof vest saved him from serious injury. Another bullet went through a police cruiser windshield and grazed the forehead of Officer Peter Hammer.
Officers quickly returned fire, and Rahimi was wounded at least seven times in the gunfight.
Ahmad could have avoided the trauma he suffered by not opening fire on police.