New Jersey: Aakash Dalal and co-conspirator Anthony Graziano, masterminds of a series of fire-bombings in New Jersy, were given 35 years in prison, narrowly missing a life sentence. Dalal, an Indian-American who remains incarcerated since his arrest in 2012, and spent most of his time in solitary confinement, was found guilty of terrorism and 16 felony counts of conspiracy to commit arson, bias intimidation, possession of a weapon and possession of a destructive device. He showed no emotion as Hudson County, New Jersey Superior Court Judge Joseph Isabella pronounced the sentence.
He has consistently maintained that he was not in town when the string of bombings occurred in late 2011-early 2012. Prosecutors however, believed him to be the main person behind the attacks, showing Graziano how to make a Molotov cocktail and prompting him to commit further destruction. Dalal allegedly told him, “I don't trust you until you kill a Jew.” Graziano was found guilty of 19 counts of arson and bias intimidation in May 2016. The two boasted about the damage they had caused, noting that the attacks were reported on the news. Neither of them were charged with attempted murder.
In the packed court-room, Graziano and his mother apologised to members of the local Jewish community. Dalal and his family chose to remain silent. Adarsh Dalal, his father continues to believe that his son could not have committed the crimes he was charged with, describing him as a person motivated by peace, and love in his heart.
After the first fire-bombing at a synagogue in Maywood, New Jersey, the former Rutgers University student urged Graziano to do more. “The Jews got what they deserved tonight. We should do another one in Paramus,” he wrote.
Graziano and Dalal are the first two people to be convicted under New Jersey’s terrorism statutes, created after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
